Details

Approx. running time: 2 hours 45 minutes. Frederick Ashton described Scènes de Ballet as 'just an exercise in pure dancing'. This one-act ballet set to Stravinsky's score of the same title is a complex and lively piece. Choreographed to the geometric studies of Euclid, Ashton intended that this ballet could be viewed from any angle and still 'work'. A homage to 19th- century classicism with designs by André Beaurepaire], Scènes de Ballet was last performed at the Royal Opera House in 1992 and makes a welcome return this season. With his new ballet for the Company, David Bintley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, will bring something special to the Season. He trained at the Royal Ballet School in the tradition of Ashton and MacMillan, has been a fine character dancer in his own right, and now has an international choreographic reputation for innovation and dramatic invention. Familiar to audiences through his popular 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café and more recently in the House with Tombeaux, Bintley's infallible sense of theatre promises an exciting addition to the repertory and a memorable evening. Kenneth MacMillan's ballet from 1965 was inspired by the spirit of its score, Mahler's Das Liede von der Erde. With loss as a central theme, the Woman, the Man and the enigmatic Messenger are central to this moving exploration of life, death and renewal. Keenly appreciated during its return in 2001, it now provides the fifth and final MacMillan ballet in the Season that marks the 10th anniversary of his death.

Creatives/Company

Choreographer(s): Frederick Ashton (Scenes de Ballet), David Bintley (New Work), Kenneth MacMillan (Song of the Earth)
Music(s): Stravinsky (Scenes de Ballet), Alexander Glazunov (New Work), Mahler (Song of the Earth)
Design(s): Andre Beaurepaire (Scenes de Ballet), Nicholas Georgiadis (Song of the Earth)
Lighting: John B Read (Song of the Earth)
Conductor: Barry Wordsworth