Photo album: Opening night at The Royal Ballet includes premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Symphonic Dances

The latest mixed-programme from The Royal Ballet was unveiled last night and will run until the end of this month. “Virtuoso dance from The Royal Ballet in a programme that includes Forsythe and Balanchine classics and Wheeldon's 2016 narrative ballet” also saw the world premiere of Liam Scarlett's new creation for the Company, Symphonic Dances.

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude

William Forsythe's ballet to the last movement of Schubert's ‘Great' Symphony is an exhilarating celebration of virtuoso dance.

Choreography
William Forsythe

Music
Franz Schubert

Costume designer
Stephen Galloway

Lighting designer
Tanja Rühl

with

Marianela Nuñez, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Akane Takada, Vadim Muntagirov and Steven McRae

Tarantella

George Balanchine's exuberant pas de deux is full of swagger, charm and ballet brilliance.

Choreography
George Balanchine

Music
Louis Moreau Gottschalk

Orchestration
Hershy Kay

Costume designer
Karinska

Lighting designer
Simon Bennison

with

Francesca Hayward and Marcelino Sambé

Tarrantella – Marcelino Sambé © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Tarrantella – Francesca Hayward © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Strapless

This one-act narrative ballet from Christopher Wheeldon spins a tale of ambition and hypocrisy around John Singer Sargent's Portrait of Madame X, to an original score by Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Choreography
Christopher Wheeldon

Scenario
Christopher Wheeldon and Charlotte Westenra after Deborah Davis

Music
Mark-Anthony Turnage

Designer
Bob Crowley

Lighting designer
Natasha Chivers

with

Amélie Gautreau: Natalia Osipova

John Singer Sargent: Edward Watson

Dr Samuel-Jean Pozzi: Federico Bonelli

Albert de Belleroche: Matthew Ball

Strapless – Natalia Ospiova as Amelie Gautreau © ROH 2016, photograph by Bill Cooper

Strapless – Natalia Osipova and Federico Bonelli as Dr Pozzi. © ROH 2016, photograph by Bill Cooper

Strapless – Edward Watson, Matthew Ball and Natalia Osipova © ROH 2016, photograph by Bill Cooper

Strapless – Edward Watson and Natalia Osipova. © ROH 2016, photograph by Bill Cooper

Strapless – Natalia Osipova as Amélie Gautreau © ROH 2016, photograph by Bill Cooper

[rehearsal photos]

Symphonic Dances

The Royal Ballet's Artist in Residence creates a new one-act ballet for the Company, to Rachmaninoff's great final work.

Choreography
Liam Scarlett

Music
Sergey Rachmaninoff

Designer
Jon Morrell

Lighting designer
David Finn

with

Zenaida Yanowsky

Symphonic Dances – members of The Royal Ballet © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Symphonic Dances – Zenaida Yanowsky © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Symphonic Dances – Zenaida Yanowsky © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Symphonic Dances – James Hay, Zenaida Yanowsky © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Symphonic Dances – Zenaida Yanowsky, James Hay © ROH 2017, photograph by Bill Cooper

Conductor
Koen Kessels

Concert Master
Peter Manning

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

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.