In a few minutes, the curtain goes up at The Royal Opera house of a mixed programme of Frederick Ashton gems. It is a special evening because this will be the last role that Zenaida Yanowsky dances on the Covent Garden stage before she retires. She will be dancing with Roberto Bolle in Marguerite and Armand, and again June 7 for the live cinema relay. In yesterday's Times, Yanowsky said of her co-star:
He is a superb and committed partner and dancer, who allows me to feel free in my dancing and explore the movement and the character. Dancing with him has become like a beautiful conversation. Also, he is flipping handsome with a godlike body. Is there anything he fails on?
Who could ask for anything more!
The Dream and Symphonic Variations make up the programme with the habitual starry casting from The Royal Ballet.
The Dream
Frederick Ashton's delightful interpretation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic of The Royal Ballet's repertory.
CREDITS
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Music Felix Mendelssohn
Musical arrangement John Lanchbery
Designer David Walker
Lighting designer John B. Read
PERFORMERS
Conductor Emmanuel Plasson
Titania Akane Takada
Oberon Steven McRae
Choir London Oratory Junior Choir
Concert Master Vasko Vassilev
Orchestra Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Symphonic Variations
Ashton's seminal masterpiece celebrates the pure beauty of movement.
CREDITS
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Music César Franck
Designer Sophie Fedorovitch
Lighting designer John B. Read
PERFORMERS
Conductor Emmanuel Plasson
Dancers Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov
Piano Paul Stobart
Concert Master Vasko Vassilev
Orchestra Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Marguerite and Armand
Frederick Ashton created this passionate ballet for the celebrated partnership of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, to Liszt's tempestuous Piano Sonata.
CREDITS
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Music Franz Liszt
Orchestration Dudley Simpson
Designer Cecil Beaton
Lighting designer John B. Read
PERFORMERS
Conductor Emmanuel Plasson
Marguerite Zenaida Yanowsky
Armand Roberto Bolle
Piano Robert Clark
Concert Master Vasko Vassilev
Orchestra Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
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.
