August 2019
The Royal Ballet presents Concerto, Enigma Variations and Raymonda Act III
22 October – 20 December 2019 | #ROHconcertomixed | Tickets £3 - £75
Concerto. Artists of The Royal Ballet. ©ROH, 2012. Ph. Bill Cooper.
The first mixed programme of the 2019/20 Season highlights the versatility of The Royal Ballet
Works by Kenneth MacMillan, Frederick Ashton and Rudolf Nureyev
ROH Live Cinema Tuesday 5 November
This October, The Royal Ballet showcases the work of leading 20th-century choreographers Kenneth MacMillan and Frederick Ashton alongside Rudolf Nureyev’s production of an Imperial classic in a mixed programme that celebrates the versatility of the Company.
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Concerto, created by Kenneth MacMillan in 1966 for Berlin’s Deutsche Oper Ballet, is set to Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no.2 in F and includes energetic corps de ballet sections as well as lyrical pas de deux that perfectly reflect the contrasting mood of the music. Bright, vivid designs by Jürgen Rose encapsulate the work’s warmth and energy and Concerto remains one of MacMillan’s most celebrated lyrical creations.
Frederick Ashton’s Enigma Variations is also presented as part of this programme. It received its premiere at the Royal Opera House more than fifty years ago, and last performed at Covent Garden in 2011, the ballet features period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman and Edward Elgar’s eponymous score, illustrating an imagined gathering of the composer and his companions. This revival will feature debuts from Royal Ballet Principals Laura Morera, Francesca Hayward and Matthew Ball.
Rudolf Nureyev’s magnificent staging of Raymonda Act III by Marius Petipa completes the mixed programme. With his intimate knowledge of the ballet from his early career with the Kirov Ballet, Nureyev staged a full-length version of the Russian classic especially for The Royal Ballet in 1969. The final act celebrates the wedding of Raymonda and the knight Jean de Brienne, following Jean’s return from the Crusades, and features an array of folkdances, ensemble sequences and spectacular solos, set to music by Alexander Glazunov.
Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, comments: ‘I’m delighted to be reviving these three fantastic ballets as the first mixed programme of our 2019/20 Season. The variety and nuance of each of these pieces affords a range of opportunities for the Company, both in terms of technical precision and storytelling, and I’m thrilled that audiences around the world will be able to join us when the performance is broadcast live to cinemas.’
Concerto / Enigma Variations / Raymonda Act III will be broadcast live to cinemas on Tuesday 5 November as part of ROH Live Cinema.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Generous philanthropic support The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund Enigma Variations – Generous philanthropic support from Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson
PRODUCTION CREDITS CONCERTO
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
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Music Dmitry Shostakovich
Designer Jürgen Rose
Lighting designer John B. Read
CASTING Tuesday 22 October, 7.30pm / Saturday 26 October, 7.30pm Akane Takada*, Marcelino Sambé*, Lauren Cuthbertson*, Reece Clarke*, Fumi Kaneko*
Friday 25 October, 7.30pm / Saturday 2 November, 12pm Francesca Hayward*, Cesar Corrales*, Melissa Hamilton*, Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød*, Claire Calvert
Monday 28 October, 7.30pm / Tuesday 5 November, 7.30pm Anna Rose O’Sullivan*, James Hay*, Yasmine Naghdi*, Ryoichi Hirano, Mayara Magri*
Wednesday 18 December 1.30pm / Friday 20 December, 1.30pm Beatriz Stix-Brunell*, Calvin Richardson*, Sarah Lamb, Nicol Edmonds*, Tierney Heap*
Wednesday 18 December, 7pm / Friday 20 December, 7pm Akane Takada*, Marcelino Sambé*, Yasmine Naghdi, Ryoichi Hirano, Fumi Kaneko
ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Music Edward Elgar
Designer Julia Trevelyan Oman
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Lighting designer John B. Read
CASTING (The Lady Elgar, Edward Elgar, Dorabella, Troyte)
Tuesday 22 October, 7.30pm / Monday 28 October, 7.30pm / Tuesday 5 November, 7.30pm Laura Morera*, Christopher Saunders, Francesca Hayward*, Matthew Ball*
Friday 25 October, 7.30pm / Saturday 2 November, 12pm / Friday 20 December, 1.30pm Christina Arestis, Gary Avis, Yasmine Naghdi*, Alexander Campbell*
Saturday 26 October, 7.30pm Kristen McNally*, Bennet Gartside*, Anna Rose O’Sullivan*, William Bracewell*
Wednesday 18 December, 1.30pm / Friday 20 December, 7pm Kristen McNally*, Bennet Gartside*, Meaghan Grace Hinkis*, William Bracewell
Wednesday 18 December, 7pm Laura Morera, Christopher Saunders, Anna-Rose O’Sullivan, Matthew Ball
RAYMONDA ACT III
Choreography Rudolf Nureyev
Music Alexander Glazunov
Designs Barry Kay
Lighting designer John B. Read
Staging Christopher Carr
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CASTING (Raymonda, Jean de Brienne)
Tuesday 22 October, 7.30pm / Saturday 26 October, 7.30pm Sarah Lamb*, Steven McRae
Friday 25 October, 7.30pm / Wednesday 18 December, 1.30pm / Friday 20 December, 1.30pm Lauren Cuthbertson*, Federico Bonelli*
Monday 28 October, 7.30pm / Saturday 2 November, 12pm / Tuesday 5 November, 7.30pm Natalia Osipova*, Vadim Muntagirov*
Wednesday 18 December, 7pm / Friday 20 December, 7pm Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov
Conducted by Pavel Sorokin
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
1. For further information or interview requests please contact Sarah Farrell / [email protected] / 020 7212 9241 2. To request tickets, please contact Hannah Last. 3. Images are available to download here.
About the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House’s aim is for many more people to enjoy and engage in exceptional ballet and opera. As The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, we bring together the world’s most extraordinary ballet and opera artists in more than 500 performances every year: live events that thrill, move and excite, and that transport people to other worlds though music, dance and theatre.
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About The Royal Ballet Under the directorship of Kevin O’Hare, The Royal Ballet unites tradition and innovation in world-class performances, and is a driving force in the development of ballet as an art form. Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, it brings together today’s most dynamic and versatile dancers with a world-class orchestra and leading choreographers, composers, conductors, directors and creative teams to share awe-inspiring theatrical experiences with diverse audiences worldwide.
The Company’s extensive repertory embraces 19th-century classics, the singular legacy of works by Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan and the compelling new canon of work including pieces by Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor, Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon and Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett.
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