Rhapsody / The Two Pigeons

RHAPSODY / THE TWO PIGEONS
Frederick Ashton | Two Ballets
Running time: tbc (including one intermission)
RECORDED TUESDAY 26 JANUARY 2016

This delightful Frederick Ashton double bill opens with his setting of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, using the music’s dark turbulence and brilliance to inspire some of his most thrilling choreography. Witty, impassioned and sublime, this ballet was the pinnacle of Ashton’s romantic style. The second half of the program features Ashton’s delicate, deceptively comic The Two Pigeons - a work rarely performed and a real treat for ballet fans everywhere.

RHAPSODY
Principal ~ Natalia Osipova
Principal ~ Steven Mcrae
Choreography ~ Frederick Ashton
Music ~ Sergey Rachmaninoff

THE TWO PIGEONS
A Young Girl ~ Lauren Cuthbertson
A Young Man ~ Vadim Muntagirov
A Gypsy Girl ~ Laura Morera
Her Lover ~ Ryoichi Hirano
Choreography ~ Frederick Ashton
Music ~ André Messager, arranged by John Lanchbery
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House