Triple Bill
Royal Opera House, last perf. 15 May
There was a time when the thrill of a ballet première could be sensed the moment you entered the theatre. Today, the disillusioned public, tired of the high percentage of choreographic garbage it is frequently subjected to, takes little or no notice. It’s a pity, for I think that Liam Scarlett’s Asphodel Meadows deserved a buzzier atmosphere than the one that greeted its opening last week — even though there were a good number of ovations and calls at the end.
Set to Poulenc’s bubbly Concerto in D minor for two pianos and orchestra, the new ballet is a visually enticing example of outstanding choreographic composition, in which the classical idiom is cogently manipulated, though never betrayed. The overall effect is as sparkly as the music — indeed, musicality is one of this choreography’s most delectable ingredients — both in the now pleasantly quirky, now classically constructed choral moments and in the three dynamically contrasting duets.
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