To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Frederick Ashton Foundation, the Royal Ballet have mounted a triple bill comprising of works by their founding choreographer. These works originate from 1948, 1976, and 1980. One earlier masterpiece, and two late ones. And luckily for Ashton’s legacy, and for a first-time viewer like me, the company delivered a masterful performance.

To see the full cast, check out my collection database entry here.

Scènes de Ballet

Scènes de Ballet is the 1948 ballet. Created on Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes, Scènes and Symphonic Variations (1946) are the earliest Ashton pieces performed in recent seasons. While Symphonic Variations uses minimalistic costumes and 6 dancers, Scènes utilises 2 principals, 4 male soloists, and a female corps, dressed in tutus and geometric tops.

As a first time viewer, I found this ballet fascinating, purely through the way Ashton used the stage. There’s moments where you think ‘Hang on, someone’s standing in the wrong place’, and then you realise they’re not, and that’s just how Ashton choreographed. The use of the head was particularly noticeable, fitting with the music by Stravinsky, and showing that the coaches at the Royal must focus on everything, giving the performance a fully finished quality.

Sarah Lamb, one of the Royal Ballet’s longest-serving principals, had performed the female lead before, but Vadim Muntagirov was making his debut. The pair have performed in other works before, and have a wonderful partnership (I recommended their highly moving Manon Act III pas de deux for anyone unfamiliar with them as dancers).

The male lead is centre stage at the ballet’s opening, and Muntagirov embodied Somes, the part’s originator, in true danseur noble fashion. Lamb appears later on, elegantly channelling Margot Fonteyn. Their performances were refined, reminding one of Sleeping Beauty.

The four male soloists were Luca Acri, David Donnelly, Calvin Richardson and Joseph Sissens. All four were excellent, and jumped around the stage like it was nothing. There was a moment where the four of them, Lamb and Muntagirov were all synced on a jump. Not to say they’re out of sync usually, but to jump, turn and land at the same time is magical.

The female corps were beautiful, showcasing, like the male soloists, many of the Royal Ballet’s future stars. It was a pleasure to watch them, and if I were to highlight just one thing it would be the arms, all of which were positioned wonderfully.

All in all, I think Scènes de Ballet is a piece you have to settle into. At first it might seem a bit confusing, but by the end you’re asking for more. Like Symphonic Variations (which may be my favourite of the pair) it’s something that might be hard to make sense of at first, but once it clicks, it clicks.

A Month in the Country

An easier Ashton ballet to sink your teeth into might be A Month in the Country. A 1976 ballet based on Turgenev’s play of the same name, and set to music by Chopin, this ballet has a strong dramatic narrative, along with chances for all it’s cast to shine.

Marianela Nuñez and Matthew Ball danced the lead roles of Natalia Petrovna and Beliaev respectively. The pair danced this ballet in the previous 2019 run, and I was excited to see they’d be dancing together again. And they exceeded my expectations.

To succeed here you need to put the character’s emotion into every step, and Nuñez and Ball brilliantly showed the growing affection between their characters, and then the agony of being caught. The end scene, with Nuñez leaning on her chair in despair and Ball returning to leave her a rose (see the photo above) was breathtaking. And their duet together was poignantly danced.

In the role of Natalia’s ward Vera was Anna Rose O’Sullivan. She embodied this role well, particularly during the dance-scraps between Vera and Natalia, in which O’Sullivan danced with such might that you could tell she’d be a threat if this were a real fight. Ashton’s choreography has differences between the more mature Natalia and the younger Vera, and O’Sullivan’s free-spirited Vera was a joy to watch.

Natalia’s husband Yslaev and her admirer Rakitin were danced by Christopher Saunders and Gary Avis. Both Principal Character Artists, these pair are outstanding actors, and fit everything on the stage into a perspective of realism, making it believable.

Luca Acri danced Kolia, Natalia and Yslaev’s son, in a stand-out performance. His jumps were energetic, and his solo was warmly applauded. Leticia Dias’ maid was playful, and her acting was top-notch.

This was a wonderful cast to see, with a mix of established stars and rising ones. Their dancing and their acting was excellent, and did truly convince you that you were watching the story, and not just the dancers.

Rhapsody

Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was Marcelino Sambé’s debut in Rhapsody. Created in 1980 for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier, Rhapsody combines two styles: the Russian aplomb and the English rose. Stepping into the male lead is a challenge for any dancer, but Sambé pulled out all the stops, and delivered an incredible performance.

Sambé took command of the stage; it was hard to take your eyes off of him. As a dancer he’s always been like that- through recordings I’ve been able to learn that he has an incredible stage presence. But to take on Rhapsody, and have the audience eagerly anticipating your next step, that’s remarkable. His jumps looked effortless, and after managing to turn and jump his way across the stage in just 3 steps, the audience went wild (or as wild as a Royal Opera House audience can be).

The female lead is largely allegro in her solos. Francesca Hayward, who was returning to the role, was light in her steps, and kept Ashton’s footwork rigid, when I imagine it’s so easy to make it quick and sloppy. The male and female soloists (6 of each) were in-time, knowing exactly when they should be moving with the music. This group knows Rhapsody, and it shows through their excellence.

One of the most magical moments for me is the ‘breath’ moment, in which the male lead almost breaths the female soloists to life, one by one. The timing of these movements were exquisite; the coaching has paid off tenfold. It reminds me of Apollo awakening his muses.

The second of the magical moments, for me, comes at the peak of the music. The most well-known Variation in the music, number 18, features the orchestra joining the piano in the Andante cantabile. The sublime orchestra playing and the beautiful dancing gave me goosebumps. Sambé and Hayward moved as if they were melded with the music. A breathtaking moment, and one I’ll remember.

And the third and final moment, is the finale. A brilliant conclusion to a brilliant afternoon. The male soloists lift the male lead as the female soloists circle around him. There’s some masterfully in-sync dancing, and then the final freeze frame. The soloists on a diagonal, framing the female lead, who stands in between the scenery arch like she’s Aurora arriving to her 16th birthday. The male lead is downstage centre, and Sambé smiled at the audience, as if to say ‘Yes, I just did that’. And he did.

I can’t not mention the orchestra, conducted by Emmanuel Plasson. A ballet conductor has to merge the music and the dancers, taking both into consideration. Plasson did just that. The piano soloists were Kate Shipway (for A Month in the Country) and Robert Clark (for Rhapsody), who both excelled in the Chopin and Rachmaninoff respectively.

This Triple Bill fit the Royal Ballet. As it should, considering Ashton was their founding choreographer. But I hope the smiles of the audience, and the well-deserved applause the performance merited, means more Ashton will be performed by his home company.