Sylvia was Frederick Ashton’s second full-length ballet, created in 1952 as a sparkling showpiece for his muse Margot Fonteyn. Ashton used Delibes’ gorgeous 1876 score – famously beloved by Tchaikovsky, who praised its ‘charm and elegance… its riches in melody, rhythm, harmony’. The ballet fell from the repertory but in 2004 was reconstructed by Christopher Newton for Ashton’s centenary –so rescuing from the archives a seminal work of Ashton’s English style.
Delibes’ first-rank ballet music inspired Ashton to create some of his most inventive dance imagery. There is a wealth of detail and fun in every character, and in Sylvia herself Ashton created one of the most surprisingly wide-ranging Principal roles. From the powerful huntress of Act I to the artful, witty woman who schemes her escape from pirates, and the rosy bride of the final scene, she emerges as a marvellously layered character – her challenging choreography a test to each new generation of Ashtonians.
Delight the entire family with the show that runs from 23rd November through to 16th December - the perfect Christmas outing in the heart of Covent Garden! Please click here to purchase tickets online. Be quick, this show is selling out fast.