Review: The Royal Ballet, Ashton Celebrated Programme 2 ★★★★★
The Royal Ballet joined the celebrations of Sir Frederick Ashton’s genius with programme that assembled two of his best loved works and a selection of shorter, rarely seen pieces
Daichi Ikarashi, Sae Maeda in Rhapsody, The Royal Ballet © 2024 ROH. Photo: Andrej Uspenski
You can’t say it often enough: The Royal Ballet’s founder choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988), is a towering figure in English ballet: a prolific, wide ranging dance maker with more than 100 works to his name, who was instrumental in developing the style of English ballet..
Ashton Worldwide 2024-2028 is an international festival designed by the Ashton Foundation of celebrate his legacy .It kicked off at the Royal Opera House with performances by Sarasota Ballet, which has more Ashton in its repertoire than any other company, and The Royal Ballet, which has Ashton at its very core.
Two key works in The Royal repertoire – The Dream and Rhapsody – figured in programme 2, sandwiching a selection of miniatures, some of which haven’t been seen in London for decades.
The Dream is Ashton’s magisterial distillation into 55 minutes of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Set to music by Mendelssohn it takes place in a forest glade, the realm of the fairies, where two fraught, mismatched human couples stray, the fairy king Oberon and his wife Titania quarrel, and Puck creates no end of mischief.
On opening night, Oberon and Titania were danced by Vadim Muntagirov and Lauren Cuthbertson; proficient technicians both, there seemed to be no chemistry between them, which means the climactic reconciliation pas de deux fell flat. Liam Boswell was an engaging Puck, and Thomas Whitehead was excellent in the character role of Bottom, the rustic who is temporarily turned into a donkey.
The middle section contained Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Ashton’s homage to the American pioneer of free dance. Always a powerful stage presence, Natalia Osipova gave the piece tragic overtones, which I don’t think was Ashton’s intention.
Natalia Osipova in Five Brahms Waltzes, The Royal Ballet ©2024 ROH. Photo: Andrej Uspenski
The Walk to Paradise Garden (1972) shows Ashton at his mellowest. It is a love duet, where the couple, Sarasota’s Macarena Gimenez and Ricardo Graziano, never let go of which other’s bodies.There is a sense of plenitude, sensual satisfaction, in the slow, soft lifts that prefigure so much that came after. It’s set to a tone poem by Delius, and Ashton, the most musical of all choreographers, created the perfect match been music and dance.
Macarena Gimenez, Ricardo Graziano in Walk to the Paradise Garden, Sarasota Ballet ©2024 Tristram Kenton
Hamlet and Ophelia, made in 1977 for the Nureyev/Fonteyn star partnership, portrays a fast unravelling Hamlet, and his cruel destruction of Ophelia. William Bracewell was totally convincing as Hamlet, Francesca Hayward a gentle, fragile Ophelia,
Rhapsody, a suite of dances created in 1980 for the foremost virtuoso Mikhail Baryshnikov and the fleet-footed Lesley Collier, is thrilling, but also fiendishly difficult. It’s set to Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, and requires show-stopping performances from its lead pair, as well as perfect split-second co-ordination (sadly not always there) from the supporting six couples.
The young dancers Daichi Ikarashi and Sae Maeda led. Despite heavy landings, Ikarashi showed a measure of virtuosity and seemed to enjoy the challenges of the choreography, Maeda has a delightful stage presence and quick feet; though her upper body didn’t always show the required Ashtonian suppleness.
Ashton Worldwide 2024-2028 is an international festival designed by the Ashton Foundation of celebrate his legacy .It kicked off at the Royal Opera House with performances by Sarasota Ballet, which has more Ashton in its repertoire than any other company, and The Royal Ballet, which has Ashton at its very core.
Two key works in The Royal repertoire – The Dream and Rhapsody – figured in programme 2, sandwiching a selection of miniatures, some of which haven’t been seen in London for decades.
The Dream is Ashton’s magisterial distillation into 55 minutes of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Set to music by Mendelssohn it takes place in a forest glade, the realm of the fairies, where two fraught, mismatched human couples stray, the fairy king Oberon and his wife Titania quarrel, and Puck creates no end of mischief.
On opening night, Oberon and Titania were danced by Vadim Muntagirov and Lauren Cuthbertson; proficient technicians both, there seemed to be no chemistry between them, which means the climactic reconciliation pas de deux fell flat. Liam Boswell was an engaging Puck, and Thomas Whitehead was excellent in the character role of Bottom, the rustic who is temporarily turned into a donkey.
The middle section contained Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Ashton’s homage to the American pioneer of free dance. Always a powerful stage presence, Natalia Osipova gave the piece tragic overtones, which I don’t think was Ashton’s intention.
Natalia Osipova in Five Brahms Waltzes, The Royal Ballet ©2024 ROH. Photo: Andrej Uspenski
The Walk to Paradise Garden (1972) shows Ashton at his mellowest. It is a love duet, where the couple, Sarasota’s Macarena Gimenez and Ricardo Graziano, never let go of which other’s bodies.There is a sense of plenitude, sensual satisfaction, in the slow, soft lifts that prefigure so much that came after. It’s set to a tone poem by Delius, and Ashton, the most musical of all choreographers, created the perfect match been music and dance.
Macarena Gimenez, Ricardo Graziano in Walk to the Paradise Garden, Sarasota Ballet ©2024 Tristram Kenton
Hamlet and Ophelia, made in 1977 for the Nureyev/Fonteyn star partnership, portrays a fast unravelling Hamlet, and his cruel destruction of Ophelia. William Bracewell was totally convincing as Hamlet, Francesca Hayward a gentle, fragile Ophelia,
Rhapsody, a suite of dances created in 1980 for the foremost virtuoso Mikhail Baryshnikov and the fleet-footed Lesley Collier, is thrilling, but also fiendishly difficult. It’s set to Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, and requires show-stopping performances from its lead pair, as well as perfect split-second co-ordination (sadly not always there) from the supporting six couples.
The young dancers Daichi Ikarashi and Sae Maeda led. Despite heavy landings, Ikarashi showed a measure of virtuosity and seemed to enjoy the challenges of the choreography, Maeda has a delightful stage presence and quick feet; though her upper body didn’t always show the required Ashtonian suppleness.
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
Receive free tickets & insider tips to unlock the best of London — direct to your inbox
| What | Review: The Royal Ballet, Ashton Celebrated Programme 2 |
| Where | Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Covent Garden (underground) |
| When |
07 Jun 24 – 22 Jun 24, 19:30 Sat at 13:00 & 19:00 Dur.: 3 hours inc two intervals |
| Price | £4-£110 |
| Website | Click here to book |