2017年12月アーカイブ

Birmingham Royal Ballet Brings the Quintessence of the "Royal Ballet Family"

One of the major ballet companies in the United Kingdom and a sister company of The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet returns to Japan in 2018 after an absence of three years. They will bring two of the most cherished ballets in the company's repertoire, The Sleeping Beauty and La Fille mal gardée which represent the quintessence of the Royal Ballet Family.

England was one of the first countries to bring in the Russian ballet tradition. The Sleeping Beauty, one of the greatest of the Russian ballets, has also become one of the most popular works in England. This time, the company will present Sir Peter Wright's timeless production.

Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée is another masterpiece in British ballet tradition, with lots of beautiful dances, witty comedy and a joyous ending.

Join us to witness Birmingham Royal Ballet's grandeur and exquisite ballets in an authentic English style. Guest artists, Alina Cojocaru, Principal of English National Ballet, and Mathias Heymann, Étoile of the Paris Opéra Ballet, will join them to dance The Sleeping Beauty and La Fille mal gardée respectively.

Photo:Bill Cooper

Photo:Andrew Ross

David Bintley CBE

Director and Choreographer

Photo:Charlotte MacMillan

Alina Cojocaru

Guest Artist

Principal, English National Ballet

Photo:James Bort/OnP

Mathias Heymann

Guest Artist

Étoile, Paris Opéra Ballet

Tzu-Chao Chou

Mathias Dingman

Samara Downs

Céline Gittens

Momoko Hirata

Iain Mackay

Delia Mathews

César Morales

Jenna Roberts

Nao Sakuma

Tyrone Singleton

Brandon Lawrence

Photos: Andrew Ross / Ty Singleton

Photo:Bill Cooper

Photo:Anthony Crickmay

Peter Wright

Photo:Bill Cooper

Alina Cojocaru

The Sleeping Beauty, based on Charles Perrault's fairytale, is one of the most lavish and sophisticated of all classical ballets. In England, The Royal Ballet, since its inception, has cherished and transformed this Russian masterpiece, which has become one of the most beloved works in the company's repertoire.

The production you will see is the "authentic" version by Sir Peter Wright who was Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet for many years. It has the best of pedigrees, embracing inheritance from both Russian and British ballet. It keeps the traditional choreography, including a variation in the prologue by Fyodor Lopukov which is usually danced by the Lilac Fairy but in this production is assigned to the Fairy of Joy. The Role of the Lilac Fairy is now a mime role, as in the original production. Wright added a pas de deux at the end of Act II after the Prince awakens Aurora with a kiss, which is a highlight of the production.

Join us and witness the purest style of classical ballet displayed in sumptuous, breathtaking gold sets by Philip Prowse.

Photo:Bill Cooper

Photo:Anthony Crickmay

Frederick Ashton

Packed with charming dances and slick comedy, La Fille mal gardée is a sunny masterpiece by Frederick Ashton that will always make you smile. It is a story of wayward girl Lise and her lover Colas who finally get married despite the attempt by Lise's mother, the Widow Simone, to make her marry Alain, the son of a wealthy proprietor of a vineyard. The ballet is also a beautiful depiction of Ashton's deep love for English countryside.

La Fille mal gardée is in fact the oldest ballet still in existence, having been premiered in Bordeaux, France in 1789. Frederick Ashton revived it by incorporating various new ideas, and 50 years after its creation, his version remains one of the staples of Birmingham Royal Ballet's repertoire. It is a stream of brilliant dancing, including technical pas de deux for Lise and Colas, the spectacular 'Fanny Elssler' pas de deux with Lise's eight friends and eight ribbons, the famous clog dance by Widow Simone (played by a man), a dancing cockerel and hens, and the lonely and dimwitted, but loveable, Alain. Join us to enjoy this spectacular, English romantic comedy!

Photos:Kiyonori Hasegawa

Oberon: Friedemann Vogel, guest artist

Friedemann Vogel is a Principal Dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet. His repertoire is vast ranging from classics to dramatic ballet of Cranko as well as ballets by Béjart and contemporary ballets. He will make his debut as Oberon.

Titania: Kanako Oki

On completing training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Kanako Oki joined The Tokyo Ballet. Her repertoire includes leading roles in La Sylphide, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.

Puck: Arata Miyagawa

Arata Miyagawa received his training at the John Cranko School. He won the bronze medal at YAGP in 2010 and silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in 2013. In 2015, he joined The Tokyo Ballet. His repertoire includes classical to contemporary ballets.

Photos:Kiyonori Hasegawa

*Casting (as of Dec. 4, 2017) is subject to change.

Danced to Tchaikovsky's soaring score Serenade for Strings in C Major, in the pale blue moonlight, Serenade is a milestone in the history of Ballet. It was the first ballet created by great master George Balanchine in America, and it still feels innovative and refreshing to the audiences with its perfect melding of flowing steps and exquisite music, unexpected brisk motion and ever-changing formation. Loved by audiences and dancers alike since its premiere, it has been presented by many of the ballet companies worldwide. The Tokyo Ballet's repertoire already includes three of Balanchine's ballets. By premiering this masterpiece, the company will add another excellent Balanchine's work to its repertoire.

Make Your Golden Week Special with Special Performances of The Dream for Children and Families!

Photo：Kiyonori Hasegawa