Casting for Royal Ballet triple bill in March and La fille mal gardée in April

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS / NEW HOFESH SHECHTER / SONG OF THE EARTH

George Balanchine / NEW Hofesh Shechter / Kenneth MacMillan
Music: Paul Hindemith / Koen Kessels / Gustav Mahler

27, 30 March, 8, 10, 14 April at 7.30pm

A world première from much sought-after Israeli choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter is the centrepiece of the Royal Ballet's contemporary mixed programme which opens at the end of March.

In his first commission for The Royal Ballet, Shechter will draw on his visceral and compelling style to create an intense ensemble work for the Company, exploring tribal energy with ‘an ocean' of dancers.

The programme also includes George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments. His 1946 work was once considered coldly formal but is now seen as a masterpiece of the 20th century. This is the first time in eight years that The Royal Ballet has performed the piece and it will feature débuts from the majority of the cast.

The final work in this triple bill is Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth. Created in 1965 for Stuttgart Ballet, Song of the Earth is an embodiment of love, loss and death, set to Mahler's song-cycle Das Lied von der Erde. Principal Dancers Steven McRae and Thiago Soares make their debuts in this ballet.

CASTING

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS

Choreography George Balanchine
Music Paul Hindemith
Lighting design John B Read

27 March Steven McRae*, Natalia Osipova*, Federico Bonelli, Edward Watson, Zenaida Yanowsky

30 March Vadim Muntagirov*, Natalia Osipova Federico Bonelli, Eric Underwood, Tierney Heap

8 / 10 April Steven McRae, Sarah Lamb, Matthew Golding, Edward Watson, Zenaida Yanowsky

14 April Vadim Muntagirov, Sarah Lamb, Matthew Golding, Eric Underwood, Tierney Heap

NEW HOFESH SHECHTER

Choreography Hofesh Shechter
Music Hofesh Shechter and Nell Catchpole
Designs Holly Waddington
Lighting design Lee Curran

27 / 30 March / 8 / 10 April The Company

SONG OF THE EARTH

Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
Music Gustav Mahler
Designs Nicholas Georgiadis
Lighting design John B Read
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

27 March / 8 / 10 April Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares*, Carlos Acosta

30 March / 14 April Laura Morera, Nehemiah Kish, Steven McRae*

*Role Debut

LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE

Frederick Ashton
Conductor: Barry Wordsworth

16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29 April; 5†May at 7.30pm; 26 April at 3pm; 2 May at 2pm and 7pm
†Live cinema broadcast

Ashton's production of La Fille mal gardée returns to the Royal Opera house from Thursday 16 April 2015. Natalia Osipova makes her début as Lise and debuting as Colas are Vadim Muntagirov, Valentino Zucchetti and Alexander Campbell. La Fille mal gardée is part of the ROH Live Cinema Season and will be screened on Tuesday 5 May.

Choreography Frederick Ashton

Music Ferdinand Hérold, arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery
Conductor Barry Wordsworth
Scenario Jean Dauberval
Design Osbert Lancaster
Lighting design John B Read

CASTING
16, 24 April Lise: Laura Morera, Colas: Vadim Muntagirov
21 April / 2 (mat) May Lise: Roberta Marquez, Colas: Valentino Zucchetti*
22 / 28 April Lise: Marianela Nunez, Colas: Carlos Acosta
23 / 29 April / 5† May Lise: Natalia Osipova, Colas: Steven McRae
26 (mat) April / 2 May Lise: Yuhui Choe, Colas: Alexander Campbell

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.