text:
Details of additional casting have been announced for The Royal Ballet's Don Quixote. Production pages will be fully updated on Monday.
On 27 November Johannes Stepanek and Alastair Marriott will make role debuts as Gamache and Lorenzo respectively.
The matinee performance on 3 January sees Claire Calvert in a role debut as Mercedes, Nehemiah Kish as Espada and Ryoichi Hirano as Gamache.
Matthew Golding will make his role debut as Espada on 8 January, while on 14 January Mayara Magri will make her role debut as Mercedes and Valentino Zucchetti makes his role debut as Espada.
Details of this, and additional casting, will be available on the Don Quixote production page on Monday.]]>
I enjoyed Scènes de Ballet much more tonight than in previous runs. A meticulously rehearsed corps and vibrant 4 solo boys #ROHashton
— Karen McLernon (@BBB_Mrs) October 18, 2014
#RohAshton faves this eve: very chic Scènes de Ballet w/ Sarah Lamb & @_stevenmcrae & disciplined corps de ballet comme il faut + Month <3
— The Ballet Bag (@theballetbag) October 18, 2014
I want to love Scènes de Ballet far more than I do but, shallowly, I can't get beyond the costumes #rohashton
— Nellie (@knit2pointe2) October 18, 2014
Thank you Sarah Lamb & @TheRoyalBallet for tonight's #ROHAshton Performance! It's always a pleasure! pic.twitter.com/MLI5g4CeBe
— Steven McRae (@_stevenmcrae) October 18, 2014
Loved Scenes de ballet not sure about Brahms waltzes although impressive petal control from Helen Crawford #ROHAshton
— Gill Dunn (@gilltweet) October 18, 2014
#rohashton Symphonic Variations just creamy. @MNunezOfficial, @YasmineNaghdi, Choe, Muntagirov all excellent, as was the music.
— Michael Potter (@MichaelPotter) October 18, 2014
#ROHAshton @TheRoyalBallet Superb Ashton bill! Symphonic V. cast SUPERB!!! @MNunezOfficial beautiful @YasmineNaghdi very impressive debut!
— NinaF. (@NinaFinmann) October 18, 2014
.@MNunezOfficial after performing in Frederick #Ashton's 'Symphonic Variations' at @RoyalOperaHouse. #ROHAshton pic.twitter.com/xnOUDKg2LK
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) October 18, 2014
Really enjoyed symphonic variations tonight at #ROHAshton - seen it a few times but never loved it that much before. Bravo @TheRoyalBallet !
— Alice Clay (@AliceClay) October 18, 2014
#ROHAshton - Month needs to be preserved on film with the always dramatically wonderful Zanowsky a consummate Ashton dance actress - heaven
— Pat Heath (@TheMemeSays) October 18, 2014
The full breadth of emotion was wrung from A Month in the Country by the whole cast and orchestra. Stunning. Yanowsky, McGuire :) #ROHAshton
— Chris (@ManInSeatD26) October 18, 2014
An amazing #ROHAshton tonight. What more pleasure could you have than dance, watch and be moved by the genius of Sir Fred! @RoyalOperaHouse
— Gary Avis (@balletboy09) October 18, 2014
Press Reviews:
Guardian ★★★★★
Telegraph ★★★★
Financial Times ★★★★
Arts Desk ★★★★
Bachtrack ★★★★
What did you think of The Royal Ballet's Ashton mixed programme?
Scènes de ballet is part of The Royal Ballet's mixed programme of Ashton works, performed until 12 November 2014. Tickets are still available.]]>
The event currently starts 19:58 into the video. We will upload an edited version on Monday 13 October.
Audience question about how to deal with nerves. Domingo says it gets worse with age ^E #AskDomingo
— Royal Opera House (@RoyalOperaHouse) October 12, 2014
Now discussing the issue of streaming opera to cinemas @PlacidoDomingo @RoyalOperaHouse pic.twitter.com/zR6a2LqBIX
— BBC Arts (@bbcarts) October 12, 2014
Q. What does the audience want from us singers? A. You have to be fully prepared as the audience is there to enjoy & judge ^E #AskDomingo
— Royal Opera House (@RoyalOperaHouse) October 12, 2014
Q: Why is Foscari not performed very frequently? A: The 3 main singers are very exposed - difficult parts #AskDomingo #ROHfoscari
— Royal Opera House (@RoyalOperaHouse) October 12, 2014
Another look back at @PlacidoDomingo - this time with Parkinson in 1982. We're live from @RoyalOperaHouse until 7.30 pic.twitter.com/PYYne6rp8o
— BBC Arts (@bbcarts) October 12, 2014
Fascinating watching, @PlacidoDomingo being interviewed at @RoyalOperaHouse. Such a talent, and such a varied life.
— Rosha Fitzhowle (@roshamaura) October 12, 2014
@PlacidoDomingo continues to be the greatest inspiration in my professional life. I'd be content to be 1% the artist. Tx @RoyalOperaHouse
— Paul Bambrough (@PaulBambrough) October 12, 2014
"And that's all folks" Love that @PlacidoDomingo is so modest and humble as he walks off the stage of #askDomingo talk w/ Pappano @bbcarts
— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) October 12, 2014
Royal Opera House Insights programme is generously supported by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
This event was also streamed live on the BBC Arts website.]]>
Hot chocolate and Verdi on #BPBigScreens courtesy of ROH. Fab. No wonder there's such a big crowd in Millennium Square #Bristol
— Joshua Bishop (@JGBMus) September 17, 2014
Out for my birthday with loads of my friends enjoying my first ever opera and its grate #BPbigscreens
— simon blackledge (@mrnuts1985) September 17, 2014
Can't believe I stumbled across a free opera in #trafalgarsquare - Verdi's Rigoletto; a perfect treat after a good interview #BPbigscreens
— Emily Coward (@TheFirstFrost) September 17, 2014
Opera newbies having the night of our lives @ #BPbigscreens :D pic.twitter.com/CMud1x86RP
— #OXFORD10000 (@Oxford10000) September 17, 2014
Excellent for #bpbigscreens to represent the stage management team at #rigoletto
— Heather Newsham (@Heather_N1) September 17, 2014
#BPbigscreens @RoyalOperaHouse 'Give someone you don't know a massage"? Mate we're British it's not gonna happen @ROHBridge @RoyalOperaHouse
— Yogesh Taylor (@yogeshtaylor) September 17, 2014
Getting some big screen nipple action! How thrilling! Dont gets views like this in the ROH cheap seats! #BPbigscreens
— Chloe Shrimpton (@Chloeshrimpy) September 17, 2014
Backstage with the Duke of Mantua @saimirpirgu @NatashaK105 @TheRoyalOpera #ROHrigoletto #BPbigscreens
#ROHRigoletto pic.twitter.com/Z0e998Hfyj
— Saimir Pirgu (@saimirpirgu) September 17, 2014
@Boxlee1P were watching Rigoletto on the BP big screen at Purfleet, perfect night of culture but with beer!!!!
— Nick Stratton (@corvuscorax) September 17, 2014
Dedicated crowd in Belfast braving the cold for a fantastic #Rigoletto @TheRoyalOpera #BPbigscreens @belfastcc pic.twitter.com/0KOceNCktk
— Noel j Griffin (@njgriffin) September 17, 2014
It's quite nice to be seated in Trafalgar Sq watching "Rigoletto" on a big screen and hearing Ben in the distance announce that it's 9pm.
— Celly (@CellylleC) September 17, 2014
Thank you @RoyalOperaHouse for your #BPbigscreens season! Its been amazing to see the exceptional, shattering talent direct from the ROH!!!
— Joshua Leese (@Josh_LeeseUK) September 17, 2014
Rigoletto runs until 6 October 2014. tickets are still available.]]>
Update: Thiago Soares to dance the role of Lescaut on 7 October
Additional debuts have been announced for The Royal Ballet's first production of the Season, a 40th-anniversary celebration of Kenneth MacMillan's 20th-century classic Manon.
Principal Guest Artist Carlos Acosta will make his debut as Manon's scheming brother Lescaut in addition to his performances as Des Grieux partnering Natalia Osipova as Manon. First Soloists Alexander Campbell, Bennet Gartside and Valentino Zucchetti will also make their debuts as Lescaut during the run of performances. For the performance of Manon on 7 October, the role of Lescaut will be danced by Principal Artist Thiago Soares.
First Soloist Yuhui Choe will make her debut as Lescaut's Mistress and Soloist Thomas Whitehead will make his debut as Monsieur G.M..
The debuts of Natalia Osipova, Melissa Hamilton and Francesca Hayward in the title role have already been announced. As have those of Vadim Muntagirov and Matthew Golding as Des Grieux.
Full details of dates and ticket availability can be found here.
Manon runs 26 September–1 November 2014. Tickets are still available. The production is staged with generous philanthropic support from Celia Blakey, Peter Lloyd and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. Original Production (1974) made possible by The Linbury Trust.]]>
Due to illness, Sardinian tenor Piero Pretti is unable to sing the role of the Duke of Mantua in Wednesday's performance of Rigoletto.
Saimir Pirgu made his Royal Opera role debut as the Duke of Mantua on 12 September 2014, and sings the role for all Cast A performances. He has previously sung the role for Zürich Opera and the Arena di Verona. He made his Royal Opera debut in 2007 as Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), returning in 2010 to sing Alfredo Germont (La traviata). His recent appearances include Tito (La clemenza di Tito) for Paris Opéra and Alfredo Germont in San Francisco. He will return to Covent Garden to sing the role of Shepherd (Król Roger) for The Royal Opera later in the 2014/15 Season.
The rest of the cast remains the same.
The performance on 17 September will be relayed live across the UK as a BP Big Screens free outdoor screening. Find a screening near you.
Rigoletto runs until 6 October 2014. tickets are still available.]]>
#OxanaSkorik was a beautiful & elegant Odette-Odile in #swanlake tonight #mariinsky ballet at #ROH
— June Hurst (@juneh49) August 1, 2014
Skoryk takes the saccharine out of Swan Lake, brings out the strengths of both Odette and Odile. Epic #Mariinsky
— Attila (@attilalondon) August 2, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse #Mariinsky had wonderful dancing, beautiful costumes, and an orchestra that landed with a thud and a honk on Tchaikovsky.
— Jeremy (@4winds7seas) August 1, 2014
.@mariinskyen's Oxana Skorik (Odile) takes a bow after Act II of #Mariinsky's 'Swan Lake' at @RoyalOperaHouse. pic.twitter.com/nz0B6wtOxo
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) August 2, 2014
Askerov so happy to find his Queen, jumped high, lush arcs across the stage #Mariinsky #SwanLake @mariinskyen
— Chris (@ManInSeatD26) August 1, 2014
The corps was utterly utterly magnificent. #Mariinsky #Swanlake
— sandra (@bicoated) August 1, 2014
Amazing performance by Oxana Skorik, Timur Askerov and the best corps de ballet around. Bravo @mariinskyen @royaloperahouse
— Ramanan Raghavendran (@RRword) August 2, 2014
That was so beautiful. The corps were stunning. Skorik's Odile was wicked. #Mariinsky #Swanlake @RoyalOperaHouse
— Melissa (@Frizzworld) August 1, 2014
With her pliant torso & supple arms, Oxana #Skorik cuts a striking figure. As Odette/Odile she was a cipher, projecting v.little. #Mariinsky
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) August 1, 2014
Interesting choice with that ending #Mariinsky. AMAZING performance, but I wish Odette jumped. #SwanLake
— Czar Josh Ventura (@theczarisalive) August 1, 2014
What did you think of the Mariinsky Ballet's Swan Lake?
The Mariinsky Ballet's Swan Lake runs until 14 August 2014. Tickets are sold out for the full run, but returns may become available.
The Mariinsky Ballet's Summer 2014 performances at the Royal Opera House are presented by Victor Hochhauser.]]>
Utterly loved #LaBoheme tonight in London's Trafalgar Sq. Such a wonderful atmosphere! Thanks @RoyalOperaHouse #BPbigscreens #PicnicsGalore
— Anthony Harris (@AntoineDingDong) July 15, 2014
First taste of opera with La Boheme was #fantastic - even worth the blue fingers by 2220! Thanks BP and @RoyalOperaHouse #BPbigscreens
— Sheilann (@Sheilann765) July 15, 2014
Watching Puccini's 'La Boheme' at Trafalgar Square. My lord, the emotion is unreal. A true genius. @RoyalOperaHouse #BPbigscreens
— Lucy Hall (@LucyHallmusic) July 15, 2014
Charles Dickens statue enjoying the opera in Guildhall Sq Portsmouth. pic.twitter.com/L08Vm5HwKc
— Simon Heartfield (@simonheartfield) July 15, 2014
Glorious evening of the fine arts at Millennium Square in Bristol #BPBigScreens #LaBoheme pic.twitter.com/gDJTKpijU6
— Jon Hull (@clemph) July 15, 2014
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress have joined us in Bradford #BPbigscreens @BigScreenBrad @bcbradio @visitBradford pic.twitter.com/0RrYL58XKq
— BradfordCity of Film (@bfdcityoffilm) July 15, 2014
.@RoyalOperaHouse felt special to be in the ROH with thousands watching nationwide. A wonderful production & a triumph for opera #ROHboheme
— Sam Lear (@SamuelLear) July 15, 2014
Full house @yourcanarywharf for @RoyalOperaHouse #BPBigScreens La boheme live onscreen in Canada Square Park pic.twitter.com/aYmC5mQIJl
— Canary Wharf Group (@yourcanarywharf) July 15, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse, it's a beautiful evening @TrentBridge for La Boheme #lovenotts pic.twitter.com/lDxeSEKzKH
— Emma Lee (@emmy_oukins) July 15, 2014
Beautiful evening for some free opera in Trafalgar Square @royaloperahouse #bpbigscreens pic.twitter.com/5P7HNEwvN2
— The Weekendist (@wkndist) July 15, 2014
Emotional finale
Bring it on Act IV, we're ready for you! @RoyalOperaHouse @bpbigscreens #ROHboheme pic.twitter.com/BVklLy72x7
— Polly Jackman (@jackmaninoff) July 15, 2014
#BPbigscreens Dropping a little cool in Nottingham, but I'm sure the fourth act will warm us up! pic.twitter.com/ukhEN1acJm
— Richard Kightley (@rkphotouk) July 15, 2014
Winner of our photo competition
#BPbigscreens my son taking in some outdoor opera in Lyric Square, Hammersmith pic.twitter.com/jJbjFApyTO
— Melissa Monologues (@MelissaMono) July 15, 2014
And others enjoying themselves
#Laboheme in #Swindon with my Mum and Sis for our first bit of opera with #BPbigscreens and my Dad. pic.twitter.com/T79dw3gBlD
— Dave (@DaveVespa5) July 15, 2014
#BPbigscreens My first ever opera. Accompanied by bubbles & Lord Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square. Not a bad start. pic.twitter.com/PkvpGs01lu
— Kelly Wheeler (@kellywheeler8) July 15, 2014
Here we are! @RoyalOperaHouse student ambassadors in Trafalgar Square ready for #ROHboheme! #ROHstudents pic.twitter.com/WHr1Z5IXS1
— Birkbeck Ambassador (@ROHBirkbeck) July 15, 2014
And some picnic food and drink
Big screen @RoyalOperaHouse in Trafalgar Sq. @eleanorbanks ready with her cakes for birthday tomorrow! #bpbigscreen pic.twitter.com/m4tuXu2jJ4
— Sofie Vilcins (@Sof_v) July 15, 2014
I'll swap you a piece of Malteser cake for a blanket #BPbigscreens #aberdeen pic.twitter.com/NN9LZ4Gdd7
— Sheila Graham (@sheesh1987) July 15, 2014
La Boheme. Live from Royal Opera House. It's even better here since you can't drink beer at #opera :)… http://t.co/geIg88hB5R
— Mirjana (@MiricKrompiric) July 15, 2014
La bohème runs 9–19 July 2014. Tickets are still available.
The performance on 15 July 2014 will be streamed live to free, outdoor venues around the UK as part of BP Big Screens. Find a screening near you.
The production is given with generous philanthropic support from The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. Original Production (1974) supported by The Linbury Trust.]]>
First experience of opera watching #ROHlescaut at Vue cinema. what a fantastic introduction, helped by subtitles!
— Janine ingleby (@Jingle_by) June 24, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse what an INCREDIBLE perf. Unadulterated passion from all. No egos, no pretence. Just as opera should be!! #ROHlescaut
— Seb Charlesworth (@Sebussy) June 24, 2014
Ooohwheee Manon as Lady Gaga - nice nod to period costume, the mini panniers ;-) #ROHLescaut
— Jesse (@Hyattesque) June 24, 2014
Female degradation shown so well by hideous girls' costumes in ActII #ROHLescaut. Kaufmann, Opolais and Maltman excellent in main roles!
— Angela Lait (@Dralait) June 24, 2014
There are no words to describe how much fire the cast of #ROHlescaut is bringing tonight. Wow!!! #operainthecinema
— Angel Blue (@AngelBlueSings) June 24, 2014
I don't think I've ever seen Jonas Kaufmann as good as this, and that's saying something. #rohlescaut
— Neil Fisher (@nfmusic) June 24, 2014
Ouahhh very very hot production ! Opolais & @TenorKaufmann torrides ! #ROHlescaut #delicioso
— Mme Rêve (@chrisducq1) June 24, 2014
Not everyone convinced by production
Sadly, the first half of the updated Act 2 fails to match either the idiom of the libretto, or the nuances of the music. #ROHLescaut
— David Hornby (@DavidHornbyUK) June 24, 2014
#ROHlescaut Great opera, beautiful music and singing, but not wild about the costumes, or the direction of the reconciliation in Act II.
— Judy Rose (@garlandflower) June 24, 2014
Just add Jeff Koons and you have the final scene #ROHLescaut pic.twitter.com/KmQTYfwc9j
— George (@OperaCreep) June 24, 2014
Watching from around the world
#ROHlescaut watching the show from Padua, Italy... Wow!
— Dafne (@DafneRizza) June 24, 2014
Gotta say, I find the global coverage of #ROHlescaut amazing. How's that for outreach??!!!!!!
— Benjamin Hulett (@ben_hulett) June 24, 2014
#ROHlescaut we are watching live from Kosice in Slovakia. An amazing performance!
— Jozef Tomko (@jozefjozef) June 24, 2014
Dear rest of the world: this is why I live in #London. @RoyalOperaHouse @TheRoyalOpera #rohlescaut #kaufmann #pappano #opolais #bravitutti
— Charlotte Valori (@Operissima) June 24, 2014
Praise for Antonio Pappano
Added benefit of cinema relay of #ROHLescaut Pappano's commentary. Basically a Puccini master class. Learning SO much.
— Nicole Slavin (@Schrokit) June 24, 2014
Audience here in Bristol responding warmly to Antonio Pappano. His love of Puccini is infectious #ROHlescaut
— Sally Lewis (@CEOLewis) June 24, 2014
Thanks to Pappano+Puccini magic combo I feel quite proud to be Italian right now. #ROHlescaut
— Ecate (@GweiddiatEcate) June 24, 2014
Manon Lescaut will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on 1 July.
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season relays our performances to over 1,100 cinemas in over 30 countries around the world. Find out more about the productions included in the 2014/15 Season.
Sign up to our cinema mailing list.
This production of Manon Lescaut is generously supported by Rolex, with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Susan A Olde OBE, Lord and Lady Laidlaw, Mrs Philip Kan, Marina Kulishova, Mrs Trevor Swete, Quentin Holland, Mercedes T. Bass, Bruce Kovner, the American Friends of Covent Garden and The Manon Lescaut Production Syndicate.]]>
In a nutshell, Prévost's novel is all romantic passion, #ROHlescaut is a garish affair and Puccini's score is somewhere in the middle
— Pink Lady (@impressiondanse) June 17, 2014
By painting ML Act 2 only in primary, sexual colours, we lost many delicate nuances and much of Puccini's genius.
— David Hornby (@DavidHornbyUK) June 17, 2014
I'm going out on a limb and stating that Kent's 'controversial' production is both effective and shatteringly moving #ROHlescaut
— SEBASTIAN PETIT (@CURZONPRODUCT) June 17, 2014
Wonderful score, band and singers carried me through 2nd 1/2, but sets got sillier. A boat, a plane fine, but a poster???
— RozS (@ExmoorRoz) June 17, 2014
Spellbinding singing in #ROHlescaut - love it when you get that #hairstandingonend feeling! Always a joy to see @chrismaltman
— Miranda Morad (@mimoblade) June 17, 2014
WOW. Just wow. Never ever heard Kaufmann in finer voice. The garishness of act 2 striking #ROHlescaut
— Leeann Chen (@Leeann_Ch) June 17, 2014
Fussy, self-conscious staging of #ROHLescaut redeemed by a spectacular last act of real passion.
— Attila (@attilalondon) June 17, 2014
Anna Nicole met a Japanese manga and moved to Miami!
— Sebastian (@Sebastian_G_A) June 17, 2014
More seriously, act II of #ROHLescaut is the most disgustingly sexist and misogynistic thing I've seen. I felt physically sick watching it.
— Margaret B (@MMB_1990) June 17, 2014
Excellent booing from all area for softporn production, but excellent cast & orchestra nearly managed to transcend the setting #ROHLescaut
— sandra (@bicoated) June 17, 2014
Well forget Rosenkavalier @glyndebourne - if you want some unflattering outfits, see #ROHlescaut
— Ed Beveridge (@dredbeveridge) June 17, 2014
Opolais in act 4 was worth the wait! Great! #ROHLescaut
— Fedja Hadrovich (@Hadrovich) June 17, 2014
Singing was sensational from both leads, orchestra on fine form. Act2 a bit exploitative but not worthy of boos IMHO. #ROHLescaut
— Sarah Rogers (@tractorgirlie) June 17, 2014
Anybody who is shocked by this production needs to go to the theatre occasionally. Or opera in Germany. #ROHlescaut
— Jamie Henderson (@jsdhenderson) June 17, 2014
Yes, production team booed. Why? Maybe major sightline problems stage left and unclear dramatic logic to acts 3 & 4? #ROHLescaut
— Edward George (@Edward_George_) June 17, 2014
Never mind the begrudgers. Terrific production #ROHlescaut
— mike whyte (@btnrunner) June 17, 2014
Manon Lescaut runs 17 June–7 July 2014. Limited numbers of tickets are still available.
The production is generously supported by Rolex, with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Susan A. Olde OBE, Lord and Lady Laidlaw, Mrs Philip Kan, Marina Kulishova, Mrs Trevor Swete, Quentin Holland, Mercedes T. Bass, Bruce Kovner, the American Friends of Covent Garden and The Manon Lescaut Production Syndicate.
The production will be relayed live to cinemas around the world on 24 June 2014. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our mailing list.]]>
Due to ill health, British baritone Simon Keenlyside is unable to sing the role of Giorgio Germont in Saturday's performance of La traviata.
The role will be sung by Polish baritone Artur Ruciński who appeared as Giorgio Germont at the Arena di Verona in 2013. This is his Royal Opera debut.
The rest of the cast remains the same.]]>
Many people are unaware that they can obtain discounts and advance booking opportunities by booking a group of productions together. Since we relaunched our website these packages have only been available by post and phone, but we are delighted to be able to offer them online for the 2014/15 Season.
The new options are extremely flexible, offering 'Total' and 'Mini' packages or enabling you to Design Your Own. You'll be able to add any performance in the run to your package (not be limited to a few options) and choose any seat within the available price types and sections (Amphitheatre and Orchestra Stalls/Stalls Circle*). Our Family Packages offer half price tickets for children.
Online booking for these Autumn Season packages will open during summer 2014 at 10am on the following dates:
Premium 2 Friends: 3 June 2014
Premium 1 Friends: 4 June
Supporting Friends: 6 June
Friends of Covent Garden: 10 June
General Booking: 8 July
Enjoy all the exciting operas in our Autumn Season.
20% discount for an Orchestra Stalls package
12% discount for an Amphitheatre package
Choose one performance from each of the Autumn Season opera productions:
Anna Nicole
Il barbiere di Siviglia
I due Foscari
L'elisir d'amore
Don't miss a single ballet.
18% discount for an Orchestra Stalls package
10% discount for an Amphitheatre package
Choose one performance from each of the Autumn Season ballet productions:
Scènes de ballet / Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan / Symphonic Variations / A Month in the Country
Ceremony of Innocence / The Age of Anxiety / Aeternum
Don Quixote
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Enjoy three of your favourite productions from our Autumn Season.
15% discount for an Orchestra Stalls package
10% discount for an Amphitheatre package
Package A.
Choose one performance from each of these productions:
I due Foscari
L'elisir d'amore
Package B.
Choose one performance from each of these productions:
I due Foscari
L'elisir d'amore
Package C.
Choose one performance from each of these productions:
Anna Nicole
Ceremony of Innocence / The Age of Anxiety / Aeternum
Package D.
Choose one performance from each of these productions:
Scènes de ballet / Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan / Symphonic Variations / A Month in the Country
Ceremony of Innocence / The Age of Anxiety / Aeternum
Don Quixote
Package E.
Choose one performance from each of these productions:
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Don Quixote
Mix and match from our selected productions.
10% discount for an Orchestra Stalls package
5% discount for an Amphitheatre package
Choose one performance from two or more of these productions (please note that not all the productions in the Autumn Season are available in this package):
Il barbiere di Siviglia
L'elisir d'amore
Don Quixote
Enjoy The Royal Ballet with the whole family
Customers can buy up to two full price adult tickets and up to 4 half-price children's tickets (under 18s). There must be 1 adult for every 2 children. All of the tickets in a Family Package must be in the same area of the theatre: either Orchestra Stalls or Amphitheatre.
Choose one performance from one or more of these productions:
Don Quixote
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
* Orchestra Stalls packages also include some seats in the Stalls Circle section
Please note:
You can exchange up to two dates from a Total Opera or a Total Ballet package, or one date from a Mini, Design Your Own and Family package. You can only exchange your tickets for another performance of the same production in the same booking period at the same price.
To offer an exchange, we will need to receive the original tickets at least three working days before the performance in question. Otherwise, we can only offer to resell the tickets, and unfortunately we cannot guarantee being able to do this. Exchanges are subject to availability and the usual Box Office conditions apply.
More details on our packages and the how to book online will be published on the website towards the end of May 2014.]]>
Westminster Council have informed us of closures and road works around the Russell Street, Wellington Street and Bow Street areas from 16–30 April. Access to Russell Street between Covent Garden Piazza and Wellington Street will be severely restricted during this period.
For more information on both of these disruptions please visit the Transport for London website.
These road closures may affect your journey coming to a performance and your journey home. Please allow plenty of time to get to and from the event you are attending. Latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable pause in the performance.]]>
Tonight's Olivier Awards were announced on the main stage of the Royal Opera House, and we are delighted to have won in two categories.
Stefan Herheim's imaginative production of Les Vêpres siciliennes won Best New Opera Production.
Will Tuckett's dance theatre adaptation of The Wind in the Willows was named Best Entertainment and Family winner.
Our colleagues English Touring Opera won Outstanding Achievement in Opera, while Es Devlin received XL Video Award for Best Set Design for Chimerica at the Almeida Theatre. Gillian Lynne and Marianela Nunez gave the Outstanding Achievement in Dance to lighting designer Michael Hulls.
See a list of all the 2014 winners
Highlights of The Olivier Awards will be broadcast by ITV tonight at 10.15pm.]]>
The Royal Opera is staging Francesco Cavalli's Baroque masterpiece, L'Ormindo in a new collaboration with Shakespeare's Globe.
First performed in Venice in 1644, the opera is the first to be performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – an intimate, candlelit venue.
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Rehearsals for The Royal Opera's L'Ormindo in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe © ROH/Stephen Cummiskey, 2014
Although the Royal Opera House ticket allocation has sold out, there is limited availability for the performances, either from the Shakespeare's Globe website or by ringing their box office on +44 (0)20 7401 9919.
Ahead of tomorrow's first night, find out more about one of the opera's musical highlights.
L'Ormindo runs 25 March–12 April 2014 at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe. Tickets are still available via the Globe's website. The production is given with generous philanthropic support from Sir Simon and Lady Robertson.]]>
We are delighted to publish a poem by the late Peter Porter, which was sent to us by his widow Christine.
Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, who was a personal friend of Porter says of the poem, 'It is elegant testimony both to his deep passion for and understanding of Strauss and Hofmannsthal. I just wish he could still be here to hear Bychkov and see Guth's take on this most extraordinary and extravagant piece.'
A Chorale at the Crossing
By Peter Porter
Ihr Gatten, die ihr liebend euch in Armen liegt,
Ihr sind die Brucke, uberm Abgrund ausgespannt,
Auf der die Toten wiederum ins Leben gehn!
Geheiligt sei eurer Liebe Werk
Hugo von Hofmannsthal
But that one who is the every always one
May still be a surprise – if she's whom
That time betrayed and this time rebuked,
Who, while you were thinking of another
Startled you by not wanting to be with you
Though you'd excused all othernesses
By resolving to make her the true centre
Of existence; accepting that this was
Accounting, a way of excusing betrayal
By ordering responsibility –
Then, and no surprise after all
It should be so, the uncontrollable dream
Showed not her but you; not life but death.
This might be the message of the bridge the dead
Walk over: they are sparkling in their chances
However undeserving; they have been dressed
In time's immeasurability;
One life could never be enough; their tunes
Are faces, their words perfectly understandable
Yet have no meaning. This side of the bridge
There is a toll – it's like the seventy stairs
You have been up and down a million times;
It is paid in lifetime familiarity.
Now they are seen to be carrying, everyone
The same burden, the command to love,
Where some object might exist as proof
Or all the stars collate the obligation.
Die Frau ohne Schatten is at the Royal Opera House until 2 April.
Peter Porter's poem 'The Chorale at the Crossing' will appear in a volume to be published by Picador next year.
Last month the Culture Change programme launched with a conference designed to highlight the challenges and opportunities presented for creative and cultural businesses by sustainability.
This film shows extracts from the talks and workshops on offer from the ROH, in partnership with Creative & Cultural Skills, Julie's Bicycle, High House Production Park and Thurrock Council. Find out more about the conference.
Andrea Stark, the Chief Executive of High House Production Park chaired the conference and keynote speakers included fashion designer Orsola de Castro and Chris Rapley, Professor of Climate Sciences at University College London.
We will soon be publishing details of forthcoming events and practical support on offer from Culture Change, which will help participating businesses work more sustainably - saving money and reducing impact on the environment.
Future events include a free workshop on 24 April entitled Environmental Action Planning for Creative Businesses by Julie's Bicycle, webinars, and bespoke support. Find out more.
Join the Culture Change mailing list to be kept up to date with new announcements and opportunities as they become available.
What is opera in 2014? What is an opera house? What does it do and who is it for? What can opera say to the wider world? Who responds to it, writes about it, blogs about it, reviews it? Does anyone in The Archers or on Eastenders listen to opera or go to see one? If not, why not?
For the Criticism Now project at King's College London's Cultural Institute, Ruth Padel, a leading UK poet and Teaching Fellow in Creative Writing at KCL – who is herself a singer and has written about opera, rock music and Greek drama – will join The Royal Opera as its first Writer in Residence.
The Royal Opera House has two performing spaces, the traditional main stage and the smaller Linbury Studio Theatre, for more intimate contemporary work. This spring The Royal Opera is rehearsing three works based on themes explored in the Faust legend. For the first time, The Royal Opera has commissioned two modern operas for the Linbury, linked to a simultaneous large-scale production on the main stage. David McVicar's lavish production of Gounod's Faust opens on 4 April, and, alongside preparations for opening night, two new operas – opening on 3 and 5 April – are being created by two very different contemporary composers, Luke Bedford and Matthew Herbert.
Invited to write operas on the themes of Faust, Luke and Matthew have come up with original and exciting takes on the ancient story. Luke's Through His Teeth begins in a television interview after a high-profile fraud trial. Matthew's The Crackle opens in a school classroom and uses Chirp, an iPhone/Android app that turns pictures on your mobile device into sounds.
Ruth will be with singers, conductors, composers, directors and designers from the beginning of rehearsals. She will tweet from rehearsals (@ruthpadel), and a series of blog posts on the subject 'What is an Opera?' will explore how a work develops within The Royal Opera.
Ruth will interview the many people – among them designers, directors, conductors, singers, lighting engineers, stage managers and stage crew – whose hard work goes into making a single production.
In her blog posts, she will ask what opera is, why we need it in the 21st century and how audience members can respond to it. Most people feel comfortable sharing their opinions, criticism and enjoyment of new films and TV programmes; is there more of a reluctance to talk about opera?
Ruth will also be helping the ROH run a competition for the most perfect and crystalline Tweet responses to all three Faust operas. Prizes will include tickets for an opera, a DVD of an ROH performance of Gounod's Faust and tickets for the popular ROH Backstage Tour.
Find out about all the events in the Faustian Pack series.]]>
I felt that this opening of #ROHBeauty was a bit of a watershed in history of #RoyalBallet - a step back in time to "how Margot did it"....
— Graham Watts (@GWDanceWriter) February 22, 2014
#ROHSleepingBeauty itself feels like it's been locked away in a cupboard for 100 years and forgotten. Needs a bit more polish to shine.
— Attila (@attilalondon) February 22, 2014
#sleepingbeauty ballet @RoyalOperaHouse with @gracethomo1 was amazing, costumes were beautiful pic.twitter.com/6rp4sw0O6A
— Sarah Lias (@sarah_lias) February 21, 2014
Sarah Lamb continues to be too perfect for words, I suppose that's why she gets the sparkly tiara #ROHsleepingbeauty.
— Emily Richards (@clockworkwasp) February 22, 2014
Sarah Lamb @RoyalOperaHouse an utterly effervescent, captivating Aurora in Sleeping Beauty - a true princess!
— Rebecca Lee (@rebeccaeditor) February 22, 2014
McRae's acting presence brings life even to the scenery. Fantastic journey through the forest in #ROHSleepingBeauty
— Attila (@attilalondon) February 22, 2014
Just why are #wicked #fairies so #appealing? #carabosse #kristenmcnally @RoyalOperaHouse #RoHBeauty
— Edward Kellow (@edwardkellow) February 22, 2014
Great performance of #ROHSleepingbeauty this afternoon with a wonderful debut from Matthew Golding with the company.
— London Snail Eater (@Ldn_snail_eater) February 22, 2014
If you were at The Sleeping Beauty add your comments below.
The Sleeping Beauty runs from 22 February–9 April 2014. Tickets are still available. The ballet is also part of our live cinema season and will be broadcast to cinemas on 19 March 2014.
Production sponsored by Coutts and generously supported by Sarah and Lloyd Dorfman, Peter Lloyd and in memory of Ellen Burkhardt, with additional philanthropic support from The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. Original production (2006) made possible by The Linbury Trust, Sir Simon and Lady Robertson and Marina Hobson OBE.]]>
[Updated with additional details on Monday 10 February]
We are sorry to announce that tonight's performance of Tetractys - The Art of Fugue (Saturday 8 February) will not go ahead, due to an injury sustained by Natalia Osipova during the matinee. Thiago Soares is also unwell.
It is clearly an unusual step to cancel a performance, but the complex nature of Tetractys - The Art of Fugue has made it impossible to
rehearse a second cast integrate new dancers into the cast in the time available.
We are hopeful that the cast will have recovered in time for the next performance of the mixed programme on Tuesday 11 February. [We have now published an update about Tuesday's performance.]
Rhapsody and Gloria will both go ahead tonight, but patrons will either have the option of leaving and requesting a full refund, or of staying for the two ballets and receiving a third of their money back.
We would like to apologize again for the inconvenience and disappointment caused.]]>
Due to injury, Federico Bonelli replaces Nehemiah Kish in the role of Albrecht for the matinee performance of Giselle on 30 January.
** Update ** This cast change also applies for the performance on 10 February.
The rest of the cast remains unchanged.
Giselle runs from 18 January-10 February 2014. Tickets are sold out, aside from returns and day tickets.
The production is staged with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, Celia Blakey and the Jean Sainsbury Royal Opera House Fund.]]>
First night
@TheRoyalBallet tonight's Giselle was just the most enchanting, breathtaking and numbingly beautiful thing I've ever seen x #ROHgiselle
— walrushorn (@walrushorn) January 19, 2014
Electrifying #ROHgiselle. Natalia Osipova is clearly a daughter of the air. Her transformation from byouant peasant to spirit was startling.
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) January 18, 2014
Wow! Osipova in #ROHgiselle was incredible! Effortless performance and fantastic characterisation! Spellbinding!
— Sarah Lockwood (@slw57) January 18, 2014
I've seen a lot of #ROHGiselle in my 25 years of ballet-going, but Osipova's was the finest I've ever seen - melting grace and very bouncy!
— Jeremy Fielding (@jezfielding) January 18, 2014
FACT: Osipova spins faster than a washing machine on a cotton wash cycle #ROHGiselle
— Vampire Soup (@VampireSoup) January 18, 2014
Valentino and Yuhui totally stole the how in act I, their variation was perfect and charismatic! #ROHGiselle
— Sebastian (@Sebastian_G_A) January 18, 2014
The Willis really do give me the willies. Scarier than anything from Dr Who. #ROHGiselle
— Juliet Ashdown (@JulietAshdown) January 18, 2014
@tgw75 Strong and convincing Hilarion by Thomas Whitehead in #ROHgiselle last night http://t.co/ssmXzXyZpO
— Mark Ronan (@mark1ronan) January 19, 2014
Warming up for 1st night of Giselle ! Osipova is going to rock!! #rohgiselle @TheRoyalBallet @RoyalOperaHouse pic.twitter.com/bL83ZdzfB0
— Olivia Grace Cowley (@damegrace) January 18, 2014
Major FAIL in all productions of #Giselle: why must Albrecht blow such loud air kisses in Act I? Completely bizarre. #ROHgiselle.
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) January 18, 2014
Never heard an audience roar like that! Osipova, Acosta and the corps de ballet were all on perfect form tonight at #ROHGiselle!!!
— Rosslyn (@auroratobe) January 18, 2014
Thank you Roberta Marquez & @TheRoyalBallet for #ROHgiselle yesterday!! Act 2 sent me to another world!! pic.twitter.com/7DtzSmMjfX
— Steven McRae (@_stevenmcrae) January 19, 2014
Loved loved loved #ROHgiselle with @_stevenmcrae and Roberta Marquez. It's not raining on my face AT ALL *lies*
— Hannah Swithinbank (@hannahswiv) January 18, 2014
Perfect corps-de-ballet too, especially in act2: I love these swift and angry Willis. The dark, romantic scenery suits them well #ROHGiselle
— Pink Lady (@impressiondanse) January 19, 2014
Claudia Dean was one fierce Myrtha in today's #ROHgiselle matinee. You wouldn't want to mess with her
— sandra heidecker (@sandraheidecker) January 18, 2014
Giselle runs from 18 January-10 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The ballet will be broadcast live to cinemas worldwide on 27 January 2014. Find your nearest cinema.
The production is staged with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, Celia Blakey and the Jean Sainsbury Royal Opera House Fund.]]>
Casting has been confirmed for Christopher Wheeldon's new ballet The Winter's Tale, based on the play by William Shakespeare.
The first cast includes Lauren Cuthbertson, Edward Watson, Sarah Lamb, Steven McRae, Zenaida Yanowsky and Federico Bonelli.
Update: The second cast will feature Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Vadim Muntagirov, Laura Morera and Valeri Hristov.
The Winter's Tale opens on 10 April 2014. It will be screened live in cinemas around the world on 28 April.
The Winter's Tale is a co-production with The National Ballet of Canada. The ballet is staged with generous philanthropic support from The Monument Trust. Generous support is also offered by Mrs Susan A Olde OBE, the Metherell Family, Lady Ashcroft, Celia Blakey, Sarah and Lloyd Dorfman, Sir Simon and Lady Robertson, The Taylor Family Foundation, Mr and Mrs Edward Atkin CBE, Richard and Delia Baker, Kenneth and Susan Green, David Hancock, Randa Khoury, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, Doug and Ceri King, Sir Roger and Lady Carr, The Winter's Tale Production Syndicate and an anonymous donor.]]>
Due to being indisposed, Christine Rice has withdrawn from tonight's performance of Carmen.
Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci will take the role of Carmen tonight, in addition to her scheduled performances on 3, 6 and 9 January.
The rest of the cast for this performance is unchanged.]]>
Breath-taking so far! From cineworld in Ipswich. I can't believe I've got this far in my life unaware of this fantastic piece #ROHparsifal
— Jimmy Knott (@__Jimmy) December 18, 2013
#simoncallow gave the perfect advice to watch #Parsifal, just let it roll over you #ROHparsifal
— Brayley Pearce (@KoolHeadsCoach) December 18, 2013
Easily the best thing at the cinema this year, and one of the finest productions of Parsifal I've ever seen #ROHparsifal
— Dan Saunders (@danieljsaunders) December 18, 2013
Charbel Mattar as Second Knight, Gerald Finley as Amfortas and René Pape as Gurnemanz in Parsifal © ROH / Clive Barda 2013
Simon O'Neill as Parsifal, Gerald Finley as Amfortas, René Pape as Gurnemanz and Angela Denoke as Kundry in Parsifal © ROH / Clive Barda 2013
Angela Denoke as Kundry, Simon O'Neill as Parsifal and René Pape as Gurnemanz in Parsifal © ROH / Clive Barda 2013
Angela Denoke as Kundry, Willard W. White as Klingsor and Simon O'Neill as Parsifal in Parsifal © ROH / Clive Barda 2013
Act I
Utterly terrifying (in a good way) first act of #ROHparsifal here at @CityScreenYork. Super dark, super cast.
— JT Welsch (@jtwelsch) December 18, 2013
#ROHparsifal please let the set improve...too. much. grey. and the near naked child thing was just bat crazy
— Liz Rogers (@fatboyliz) December 18, 2013
Keswick Alhambra, Lake District. Amazing representation of the grail. Wonderful performance. #rohparsifal
— John Powers (@johnspowers9) December 18, 2013
I can safely say that I have just had some sort of religious experience/epiphany at #ROHParsifal. And it was only the first act.
— Holly (@albalilian) December 18, 2013
Act II
#ROHparsifal Star performances from all the singers, plus Pappano & orchestra. What an evening! Morges, Switzerland
— Michael Kenyon (@MichaelKenyon2) December 18, 2013
Parsifal is intense, beautiful and magnificent, amazing voices/music #ROHparsifal in Newcastle. Wagner convert. Youngest in the audience!
— Sarah Joan (@likecottoncandy) December 18, 2013
Salisbury Odeon breathless at the end of Act 2 of Parsifal. Kundry outstanding! #ROHparsifal
— Samantha Price (@Samprice11) December 18, 2013
At @hbpicturehouse #hebdenbridge #ROHparsifal - intense stunning simple set adds to tension, orchestra never sound better @RoyalOperaHouse
— Robin Tuddenham (@robintuddenham) December 18, 2013
Amfortas + Gurnemanz in happier times-maybe that fool Parsifal will bring it all back @RoyalOperaHouse #ROHParsifal pic.twitter.com/t9ePi1eKZ8
— Gerald Finley (@GeraldFinley) December 18, 2013
Act III
Sir Tony very deservedly got the biggest ovation, the orchestra were astounding and everyone is walking out of #ROHParsifal humming Wagner.
— Holly (@albalilian) December 18, 2013
Angela Denoke let us dream! Thanks from Pescara #ROHparsifal
— Sara Auryn (@SaraAuryn) December 18, 2013
A real thrill to host #ROHparsifal tonight: stunning cast & luminous orchestral playing, brilliantly captured for global cinema. Bravo all!
— Suzy Klein (@suzyklein) December 18, 2013
#ROHParsifal was musically stunning. And I for one enjoyed the staging. MB less keen. The best music ever written? pic.twitter.com/TDAhmOGFRu
— Ann (@Ann_O123) December 18, 2013
The cinema experience
Tonight I'm listening and watching an opera of Richard Wagner at our cinema in Gouda. As good as live? #ROHparsifal #fb
— Ronald Aerts (@ronaldaerts) December 18, 2013
To #ROHparsifal : too much camera movement - we lose sight of the whole stage (as in MetLive) and what's happening outside the close-ups.
— John Willman (@JohnWillman) December 18, 2013
#ROHparsifal Tweet exchanges connect worldwide audiences, great feeling.
— Michael Kenyon (@MichaelKenyon2) December 18, 2013
A global audience
Sacrebleu!! #ROHparsifal is magnifique!! I am becoming an addict to the ROH! Thank you from Valbonn,e South of France
— DP Djian (@Dpdjian) December 18, 2013
Greetings from Krasnodar, Russia. We are watching too #ROHparsifal :)
— Трудик Константин (@TrudikK) December 18, 2013
#ROHparsifal from Zaragoza (Spain) it's a wonderfull experience!!
— AM (@tralmasana) December 18, 2013
Transmission problems caused by bad weather
#ROHparsifal picture & sound breaking up much of the time in Reading Berkshire! Is it the weather affecting the satellite signal? Terrible!!
— Peter Harris (@peterharris1999) December 18, 2013
@RoyalOperaHouse Still problems with the live feed breaking up. Shame #ROHparsifal
— Angela Gibbins (@AngParrot) December 18, 2013
The Royal Opera's production of Parsifal ran from 30 November to 18 December 2013.
The production is staged with generous philanthropic support of the Metherell Family, Roland & Sophie Rudd, Dr and Mrs Michael West, Marina Hobson MBE, Ian and Helen Andrews, Peter and Fiona Espenhahn, Annie Frankel, Malcolm Herring, Dr L Mikheev and N Mikheev, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, The Wagner Circle and The Parsifal Production Syndicate and generously supported in memory of Simon Tullah.]]>
Loved #rohparsifal !!
Superstars for me were Denoke and Pape, Finley sublime and White a magnificent Klingsor!! What a treat!
— Anne Salter (@Anne_WithAn_E) December 1, 2013
After Pape & O'Neill's staggering performances tonight, it should be renamed
"When Gurnemanz met Parsifal". A thousand bravi! #ROHParsifal
Cameron Burns (@cameronburns82) November 30, 2013
Thoughtful, but unclear (to me) production, some sublime musical moments, fine singing by Pape
and Denoke. Underwhelming #ROHParsifal
— Sebastian (@Sebastian_G_A) November 30, 2013
Austere thoughful production by Stephen Langridge with no directorial impositions.Numinous yet
humane & compassionate #ROHParsifal
— John Johnston (@JohnVecchio) November 30, 2013
From the sublime to the ouch and the hmm, let's ponder that a while. But Pappano. Pape
& Finley were sensational. #ROHParsifal
— Mark Valencia (@MarkValencia)
November 30, 2013
The person who told me I'd have to see #Parsifal to really 'get' the Wagner thing was absolutely right. Wow!!! New level of appreciation
— Kirstin Sharpin (@orpheus_chick) November 30, 2013
@TheRoyalOpera @RoyalOperaHouse loved the singing, still musing over whether the child sacrifice symbolism was a bit too avant garde
— Trisha Greenhalgh (@trishgreenhalgh) December 1, 2013
Loved #ROHParsifal - can't recall ever being so drawn into a performance of the piece... Much to chew over.
— Mark (@RestrictedView) November 30, 2013
Ok, someone needs to stop with the whole grey postwar-like productions. And cubes. #ROHparsifal
— lindauruchurtu (@lindauruchurtu) November 30, 2013
@RoyalOperaHouse Saw #ROHParsifal last night and it was stunning (though Act 1 was a bit slow) The orchestra & Rene Pape were outstanding!
— Derek Skipworth (@deggsy22) December 1, 2013
Press reviews:
Financial Times ★★★★★
The Guardian ★★★★
Evening Standard ★★★★
The Telegraph ★★★★
The Independent ★★★
Arts Desk ★★
What did you think of Parsifal?
Parsifal runs from 30 November to 18 December 2013. Limited tickets are still available. It will be screened live in cinemas on 18 December. Find out full details of a screening near you.
Parsifal is staged with generous philanthropic support from The Metherell Family, Roland & Sophie Rudd, Dr and Mrs Michael West, Marina Hobson MBE, Ian and Helen Andrews, Peter and Fiona Espenhahn, Annie Frankel, Malcolm Herring, Dr L Mikheev and N Mikheev, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, The Wagner Circle and The Parsifal Production Syndicate and generously supported in memory of Simon Tullah.]]>
We are happy to announce that Marina Poplavskaya will perform in Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes tonight.
Les Vêpres siciliennes runs from 17 October – 11 November 2013. The production will also be screened live in cinemas around the world on 4 November.]]>
Ben Frost's new piece The Wasp Factory is every bit as disturbing as the book it is based on.
He speaks here about working with a source text for the first time and his approach to composition, which incorporates noises as well as notes: "There's an inherent democracy in my approach to music making... I don't make the voice of a string quintet any more important than the hiss of a snake or the cracking of ice or the sound of fire."
Ben's music was heard previously at the Royal Opera House, when he created the score for Wayne McGregor | Random Dance's FAR.
The Wasp Factory is one of more than 15 new works announced by The Royal Opera at the start of the year, to be staged between now and 2020.
Have you seen The Wasp Factory? Let us know what you thought.
Remaining performances of The Wasp Factory have very limited availability.
The production is a co-production between HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Laura Berman_Next, Berlin, and The Royal Opera and Holland Festival in collaboration with Cork Midsummer Festival. It has been made possible by support from Capital Cultural Fund Berlin and Nordic Culture Point.]]>
Canadian dancer Matthew Golding is to join The Royal Ballet as a Principal in February 2014. His first performance will be on 27 March, dancing alongside Natalia Osipova in The Sleeping Beauty.
Matthew is currently a principal dancer with Dutch National Ballet. He trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and in Washington D.C. at the Universal Ballet Academy. In 2002 he was awarded the Grand Prix from the Youth American Ballet Competition and received a prize scholarship at The Prix de Lausanne to attend The Royal Ballet School. Graduating in 2003, he joined American Ballet Theatre before moving to his current company in 2009. Matthew first danced as a Guest Artist with The Royal Ballet, partnering Zenaida Yanowsky in La Bayadère, earlier this year.
Speaking about the appointment, Kevin O'Hare said:
I have very much enjoyed watching Matthew dance over last few years, and in particular, when he made his UK debut with us last Season. I am very pleased he is joining the Company and we look forward to welcoming him next year as the latest addition to our world class roster of Principals."
The Sleeping Beauty is on stage 22 February - 9 April 2014. General booking opens 14 January.]]>
Dear #Bolshoi, you stole my heart with La Bayadere! Please return in time for Swan Lake on 14th @RoyalOperaHouse
— Martadelas13 (@Martadelas13) August 3, 2013
@RoyalOperaHouse another rechoreographed disaster. Have the Bolshoi forgotten how to act as well as dance.
— ros davis (@rosdavis9) August 3, 2013
Back @RoyalOperaHouse Bayadere with Olga Smirnova! There is a trumpeter playing Diamonds' tune beneath my seat, it sounds like a tribute...
— Pink Lady (@impressiondanse) August 3, 2013
Fav bit apart from shades Act 1 gamzatti nikita dance. Maria A very powerful liked her interaction with Zakharova. #bolshoi @RoyalOperaHouse
— McVic (@Vix_McVic) August 2, 2013
So lovely to watch the shades scene WITHOUT that flipping front gauze @RoyalOperaHouse this evening.
— Rachel Holland (@LowerSlipsGirl) August 2, 2013
Bayadere #Bolshoi @RoyalOperaHouse pic.twitter.com/VQz4dnxIqL
— David Hallberg (@DavidHallberg) August 2, 2013
@RoyalOperaHouse #bolshoi #bayadere Anyone else notice the bit from Luigini's Ballet Egyptien in Act 1? My ears did a double-take!
— Jack Murray (@ThinkErgoBe) August 3, 2013
#Bolshoi 32 wonderful Shades and 4 ramps to descend #Bayadere @RoyalOperaHouse. Spectacular. Sadly a Nasty injury to glorious Alexandrova
— Michael Llewellyn (@michael456789) August 2, 2013
Hats off to Daria Bochkova who stepped in to complete Gamzatti's variation in Act II of #Bolshoi La Bayadere after accident to Alexandrova
— Graham Watts (@GWDanceWriter) August 2, 2013
Smirnova verdict so far : exquisite & utterly beautiful. Exceeds all the hype no question. #bolshoi
— anna merrick (@annakardar) August 3, 2013
Soon to be the talk of the town: Olga Smirnova after her stunning @RoyalOperaHouse debut in 'La Bayadere' pic.twitter.com/bRdAd9aG5v
— Leena Hassan (@leenahassan) August 3, 2013
They ruined my fav bit, the Golden Idol, with the #BlackedUpBoys. The girls, I notice, are allowed to remain au naturelle. #Bolshoi
— Vampire Soup (@VampireSoup) August 2, 2013
#Bolshoi excellent in #Bayadere tonight. Ekaterina Krysanova as Gamzatti wonderful in second act.
— Stephen Jones (@stephenfj) August 3, 2013
Bolshoi #Bayadere - some nice moments from Obraztsova's Nikiya, particularly during death solo but she's still v much building her portrayal
— The Ballet Bag (@theballetbag) August 3, 2013
Extraordinary performance of #Bayadère - the #Bolshoi danced like they were born to take to the stage and Covent Garden loved it!
— Scott Dodsworth (@ScottDodsworth) August 3, 2013
Did you see the Bolshoi perform La Bayadère? Add your comments below.
The Bolshoi Ballet perform Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Jewels and The Flames of Paris until 17 August. Performances are sold out except for returns and there are no day tickets for Bolshoi productions.]]>
Ermonela Jaho is on stage in La rondine on 13, 17 and 20 July 2013. Tickets are on sale now. She will also be appearing in Massenet's Manon in January 2014.
La rondine is sponsored by Coutts. Generous philanthropic support was given by Mr and Mrs Christopher W.T. Johnston and The American Friends of Covent Garden.]]>
Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser is unwell and has had to withdraw from the role of Flamand in The Royal Opera's concert performances of Capriccio.
The role of Flamand will now be sung by British tenor Andrew Staples. His roles for The Royal Opera have included Tamino (Die Zauberflöte, 2013 revival), Artabanes (Artaxerxes), Narraboth (Salome) and First Man in Armour (Die Zauberflöte, 2008 revival). Other recent roles include Ferrando (Così fan tutte) for Opera Holland Park, Lysander (A Midsummer Night's Dream) for Garsington Opera and Belfiore (La finta giardiniera) for La Monnaie, Brussels.
The rest of the cast remains the same.]]>
La rondine runs from 5 – 21 July. Tickets are on sale now. The production is sponsored by Coutts. Generous philanthropic support was given by Mr and Mrs Christopher W.T. Johnston and The American Friends of Covent Garden.]]>
The Raven Girl/Symphony in C Mixed Programme runs until 8 June. Tickets are still available.
Production of Raven Girl is made possible by generous philanthropic support from The Taylor Family Foundation, Mr and Mrs Brian Capstick, David Hancock, Linda and Philip Harley, an anonymous donor and The New Ballet Works Syndicate.]]>
Due to illness, South African-born British tenor Colin Lee has withdrawn from the role of Rodrigo for the performance of La donna del lago on 20 May. The role will be sung by Michael Spyres who also replaced Colin Lee on 17 May.
Michael Spyres has previously sung the role of Rodrigo at La Scala, Milan, in 2011. His other recent roles include Hoffmann in Les Contes d'Hoffmann in Barcelona, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola in Bologna and Masaniello in La Muette de Portici for the Opéra-Comique, Paris. He will also sing the role at Covent Garden on the 7, 11 June as originally scheduled.
The rest of the cast remains the same.]]>
Roberta Marquez will dance the role of Nikiya in La Bayadère on 20 April. Mara Galeazzi will dance Mary Vetsera in Mayerling on 25 and 30 April. They both replace Alina Cojocaru due to injury.]]>
Plácido Domingo was honoured by the City of London Corporation today, in a ceremony held at the Lord Mayor's official residence, The Mansion House. Last night was the first of four appearance at the Royal Opera House by Domingo in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco.
Domingo's performance as Nabucco is his 142nd operatic role in an illustrious career that began in 1959, when he was 18 years old. Domingo has lately performed baritone as well as tenor roles in addition to conducting opera performances.
Speaking from Los Angeles, ahead of preparations for his performance in Nabucco at the Royal Opera House, Plácido Domingo said:
'It is an honour and a privilege to be given the Freedom of the City of London. I am delighted to be in the prestigious company of J. K. Rowling, Sir Michael Caine and my dear friend and colleague, the late Luciano Pavarotti, among various other much-admired and well-respected Freemen.
I am blessed to have amassed and nurtured an enduring relationship with London and its wonderfully cultivated audience for more than 42 years.
'I am proud of having once called Chelsea a home, and having embedded so much of my history here through singing over 200 opera performances of over 20 roles at the Royal Opera House, and of having done numerous full opera recordings at Walthamstow Recording Studios. I am now filled with emotion and gratitude.'
Alderman Roger Gifford, Lord Mayor of the City of London, said:
'The Freedom of the City of London is a very special and ancient tradition, bestowed to recognize remarkable contribution to the life of London and our global community. We are honoured to welcome Plácido Domingo to join the fellowship of men and women who have been recognised by the City of London as being at the forefront of business, politics, sport and the arts.'
Plácido Domingo was nominated for the Freedom by Alderman Roger Gifford, Lord Mayor of the City of London, and Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley, both of whom are members of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, one of the City's historic livery companies.
Plácido Domingo's performances of Nabucco are sold out, but there are 67 day tickets available from 10am on the day of each performance. The production will be shown in cinemas around the world on Monday 29 April. Plácido Domingo is a Rolex ambassador.]]>
Tonight (23 February 2013) sees the final performance of a programme of short ballets by the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Frederick Ashton. Among the works featured are a tribute to the Viennese waltz (La Valse) and the modernist Monotones I and II.
The reunion of Sergei Polunin and Tamara Rojo for Marguerite and Armand has been hotly anticipated and in the film below Tamara talks about the poignancy of her farewell performance with The Royal Ballet.
For those who crave more behind the scenes material, the cinema screenings will feature additional footage. Following a summer cinema release in July 2013, the DVD will go on sale at the end of 2013 / start of 2014.
You can also watch a piece of rehearsal footage of Royal Ballet Principals Edward Watson, Marianela Nunez and Federico Bonelli being coached in Monotones II by Anthony Dowell (Former Director of The Royal Ballet) and Lynn Wallis (Principal Coach). On the day of the recording for cinema and DVD Nehemiah Kish replaced Federico Bonelli. The rest of the cast remained the same.
Follow us on Twitter for the latest cinema release dates or sign up for email updates about our cinema programme.]]>
Edit: Contrary to this cast change, Marina Poplavskaya will be performing this role. [12.11.12]
Due to illness, it is with deep regret that Marina Poplavskaya has had to withdraw immediately from The Royal Opera's new production of Robert le diable. The Royal Opera wishes Marina a full and speedy recovery.
Replacement casting for the role of Alice will be announced in due course.
The rest of the cast remains unchanged, with American tenor Bryan Hymel in the title role, American bass-baritone John Relyea as Bertram, American soprano Jennifer Rowley as Isabelle, French bass Nicolas Courjal as Alberti and French tenor Jean-François Borras as Raimbaut. All performances are conducted by Daniel Oren.
Robert le diable, directed by Laurent Pelly, is at the Royal Opera House from
6 - 21 December.
The casting is now as follows:
You can see some short background information on the new cast on this blog post.
The Prince of the Pagodas continues at the Royal Opera House until Friday 29 June.
It is with deep regret that The Royal Opera announces that Jonas Kaufmann has to withdraw from singing the role of Enée in the new production of Berlioz' Les Troyens.
Jonas Kaufmann has been indisposed since late April with a protracted infection and has had to cancel performances at The Metropolitan Opera, New York as well as concerts in Europe.
Kasper Holten, Director of Opera said: "Both we and Jonas were intensely hoping he would be getting better and would be able to join the production. However, after new consultations with his doctor, it is clear that he still needs some further weeks of pause in order to fully recover and that he will not be ready in time to join the production."
Jonas Kaufmann added: "I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment caused to my audience, and to The Royal Opera House. I hope my decision will be respected as an act of responsibility towards myself and the audience. I am particularly sad to not be able to participate in the new production of Les Troyens, a project I have been looking forward to for many years".
Kasper Holten continued, "It is never easy for a singer to make the difficult decision to cancel. However, sometimes it is inevitable. The Royal Opera is doing everything we can to avoid cast changes, and we are terribly sorry to disappoint our loyal audiences, who have experienced a number of very unfortunate high profile cast changes this season.
"Knowing that Jonas Kaufmann has been ill since late April, The Royal Opera has recently secured Bryan Hymel who had already joined rehearsals last week, he will now take over the performances at Covent Garden. Bryan has sung the role of Enée at De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam recently, and he appeared as the Prince in Rusalka at Covent Garden earlier this season. We are grateful to Bryan for stepping in, and we are very happy that such a gifted artist has been free to undertake this demanding task with such short notice."
All ticket holders will be contacted early next week about the cast change.
Added 1 June: The BBC have confirmed that Jonas Kaufmann has had to withdraw from the Proms performance of Les Troyens and Bryan Hymel will sing the role of Enée.]]>
Royal Ballet Principal Laura Morera will dance the role of Principal Woman in performances of Ballo della Regina on 22, 26 May, 7, 15 June.
Laura joined the Company in 1995 and was promoted to First Artist in August 1998, becoming a Principal in September 2007. She has danced a wide repertory, ranging from The Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Wright's production of The Nutcracker to George Balanchine's Symphony in C.
Dawid Trzensimiech became a First Artist in 2011. He will debut in the role of James in La Sylphide, appearing on 22, 26 May and 15 June.
Update 19 Apr 10am: We are extremely sorry that we have had to remove the select your own seat facility and have staffed up the Box Office to full capacity to enable you to choose your own seat by phone. If the Box Office is engaged do ring the Friends Box Office on the number below.
From tomorrow, our higher level Premium 2 Friends will be able to buy tickets for our new season. As we enter a period of transition from the current website to the new one, you will notice some temporary measures we have had to introduce. These measures will apply to Premium 2, Premium 1 and Supporting Friends, and Advance Package Booking for standard Friends on 24 April, but will be removed before standard Friends general booking commences on 12 June.
Until the launch of the new website it will only be possible to purchase Autumn Season tickets using the Best Available option. Once the website is relaunched you will once again be able to select your own seat. The reason for the change is the introduction of a completely new seat map of the main auditorium that will allow wheelchair users to book online for the very first time.
Another consequence of the preparations for the new website is that package offers will only be available online until Tuesday 24 April. From Wednesday 25 April it will only be possible to book them by ringing the Royal Opera House Box Office on +44 (0) 20 7304 4004.
Thank you for your patience while we complete this major project: we are hopeful that you will find the new website worth any disruption. If you have any questions about the booking process for Friends over this period, Susan Fisher (Head of Friends) and her team will be very happy to help in any way they can. You can contact the Friends office on +44 (0)20 7212 9268 between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday, or email email@example.com
If you would like more background on the relaunch our Chief Technical Officer Rob Greig has written a series of blog posts outlining the changes.]]>
Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson has won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his role in Arthur Pita's The Metamorphosis. Monica Mason, Director of The Royal Ballet, also received a special award for her distinguished career in dance.
In her acceptance speech Monica described the dancers and staff of the Royal Ballet as "committed, passionate and crazy". Sadly, Edward Watson's speech was interrupted by a break in broadcasting due to a power cut in Covent Garden. The Metamorphosis will be revived at the Royal Opera House in March of next year.
This year the Royal Opera House received five nominations for Olivier Awards, in addition to Monica Mason's special award.
Pictures from the award ceremony:
In a couple of recent blog posts our Chief Technology Officer Rob Greig has written about the work we've been doing on a new Royal Opera House website.
We have been planning and developing a new site for the last couple of years and are fully aware of the problems some customers experience when they book online.
Our apologies if you have been affected by recent bumpy booking days. Our next public booking day is Tuesday 10 April and some customers may still experience hiccups. Our current website is struggling to cope with the intense demand for tickets and each major booking day places it under increased strain.
The good news is that we are nearing the launch of the new website and if all goes well this will be the last big booking day before we switch over to a new system: our plan is to eliminate the need for a waiting room altogether. We cannot promise that the process will be entirely smooth, but we are all working extremely hard to deliver an improved online booking system. Please bear with us as we enter the final stage.]]>
In the week that he completed the run of new opera Miss Fortune, Noah Stewart has seen Fate smile upon the release of his debut album, Noah. The official UK chart for classical music has been running for 25 years, but the Harlem tenor is the first black artist to reach the top slot.
The Juilliard-trained singer, who has spoken about the lack of black, male role models in the world of opera, described his chart success as "an honour and privilege".
Next month, Noah will be on tour around the UK, with performances in Gateshead, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, London and Manchester. He will also be interviewed on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning.
Watch a recent interview we did with Noah about his appearance in Judith Weir's Miss Fortune.
The first stage of Arts Council England's capital programme was announced today, with applicants now having 18 months to put forward applications for phase two. The money from the capital programme is focused on the refurbishment or extension of existing arts buildings and the replacement of critical equipment.
Arts Council England proposes to invest just over £114 million in this first round of the fund, its first new capital investment in nine years.
Projects through to phase two include: the refurbishment of the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery to bring them up to the international standard of the Royal Festival Hall; work to transform the auditorium, front and backstage areas of Chichester Festival Theatre; and extensions to Embrace Arts at the Richard Attenborough Centre in Leicester and the Square Chapel in Halifax.
Successful applications also involve the development of 40 affordable artist studios at High House Production Park in Thurrock, a new home for Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company in Manchester, and a new space for South East Dance in Brighton.
Tony Hall, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, said in response to the announcement, "We are hugely grateful that Arts Council England has put us forward to Stage Two of their capital funding programme. Not surprisingly after 13 years since the redevelopment stage equipment, plant and infrastructure are beginning to go wrong, break down and wear out. This money will not be spent on chandeliers and red carpets but on things that make the building function properly and to full capacity in the most energy efficient way. So, we are looking at chillers, stage lifts, stage wagons, roof leaks, stage curtain mechanisms, stage and front of house lighting, overhauling of some of the seating, in fact a huge long list of vital stuff that keeps this building functioning safely and effectively. Being able to draw on a special capital fund to make these essential improvements means that we can continue to invest in our art forms and our programme of education."]]>
Due to planned maintenance to improve our ticketing system much of our website will be unavailable for two hours tomorrow morning. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but this work is essential as we build a new website to be delivered later in the year.
You will still be able to see some information about productions in the Discover section of the website, or on the 2011 / 12 Season Guide, but the production pages will not be visible.
Thank you for bearing with us. You can find out more about the work on the new website in a series of blog posts by our Chief Technical Officer, Rob Greig.]]>
This summer will see an explosion of over 1,000 arts events around the UK, and the Royal Opera House is hosting some of the highlights of the London 2012 Festival. As well as major operas, new dance and music on London's waterways, we're holding a major exhibition focusing on the history of the Olympic Games.
Our network of BP Summer Big Screens will bring two of the London 2012 Festival productions to over 20 locations around the UK, ensuring that as many people as possible can share the excitement of free opera and ballet in 2012.
15 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 30 May
(30 May Falstaff will be shown live on BP Summer Big Screens)
A lavish new production of Verdi's Shakespearean comedy, directed by Robert Carsen. This opera is part of the World Shakespeare Festival.
12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 July
Antonio Pappano conducts our classic production of Verdi's opera based on Shakespeare's tale of love and jealousy. This opera is part of the World Shakespeare Festival.
Les Troyens (The Trojans)
25 | 28 June | 1 | 5 | 8 | 11 July
An epic new staging of Berlioz's opera about the rise and fall of empires, directed by David McVicar.
Metamorphosis: Titian 2012
14 | 16 | 17 | 20 July
(16 July Metamorphosis will be shown live on BP Summer Big Screens)
The Royal Ballet present a new work inspired by three Titian paintings, in collaboration with the National Gallery, London. Choreographers, artists, musicians and poets will come together to create a truly remarkable event.
Plácido Domingo's Operalia Winners
25 July
We celebrate Operalia, the international vocal competition, founded by Plácido Domingo in 1993 to help launch the careers of the best young opera singers. A remarkable cast of singers join Placido Domingo and Antonio Pappano for a one-off event.
With One Voice
2 July
A one-night festival celebrating the artistic skills of performers from the UK and abroad who have experienced homelessness. The event is presented by arts and homelessness charity Streetwise Opera.
The Owl and the Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycat during the summer of the Games. Featuring a libretto from ex-Monty Python Terry Jones, a new commissioned score from critically acclaimed musician and Oscar-winning (The Full Monty) composer Anne Dudley and directed by Martin Constantine it promises to be an event like no other. This new short opera, directed by Martin Constantine, bridges both the water and the banks along London's canals and waterways, with performances at various points as it travels from West to East.
This exciting new work is part of the 'Secrets' programme and will be one of the highlights for the London 2012 Festival. Mayor of London presents 'Secrets', a series of extraordinary site-specific collaborations taking place in a range of hidden spaces across the capital in summer 2012, led by major artists and leading cultural organizations.
The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games
27 July – 12 August
A very special exhibition presented by the Royal Opera House, BP and The Olympic Museum. Including Olympic Torches and Olympic Medals, this free exhibition will celebrate the achievements of ancient and modern Olympians.
Public booking for Otello, Les Troyens, Metamorphosis, Operalia Winners and With One Voice opens on Tuesday 10 April. The London 2012 Festival is a UK-wide festival from 21 June to 9 September featuring leading artists from around the world. For more information visit www.london2012.com/festival and www.molpresents.com/secrets
Last night a packed Clore studio watched Christopher Hampson rehearse six dancers from Ballet Black ahead of the premiere of Storyville later this month. Named after the now-demolished red-light district of New Orleans, the work follows Nola, an innocent girl whose story has echoes of MacMillan's tragic heroine, Manon.
Over the course of an hour Christopher worked with dancers on three scenes from Storyville: honing steps and forcing the dancers to explore the edge of the movement. At one point he joked, "I always know it's better when they're about to fall over". It was impressive to see the choreographer helping the dancers to develop their performances, but also to see him refining his own work. The dancers responded to his feedback skillfully in front of the live audience - something that could have felt awkward was in fact extremely natural.
Music for the sections of the ballet rehearsed include arrangements of numbers from Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, a piece that Hampson choreographed to while at the Royal Ballet School. On winning a prize for his work, the young choreographer was handed the award by Kenneth MacMillan, who asked him, "Do you know what those songs mean? They're filthy!"
The second part of the Royal Opera House Insights evening was a Q&A with Cassa Pancho - founder of Ballet Black - Christopher Hampson, and Ballet Black dancers Cira Roberts and Sarah Kundi. Royal Opera House Education Manager Clare Thurman asked the questions.
Cassa Pancho looked back at the 11 years since she founded the company and its challenges and successes over the years. While writing her dissertation on black female British ballet dancers she decided to interview five about their experiences in the ballet world, only to find that there weren't any. Cassa remarked that it was odd to be in a position where your aim is, "not to be necessary, to become obsolete" but that she hoped to get to a point where that was the case. Already it felt like people had realised that Ballet Black commission new work and the coverage they received focused on that, as much as on their ethnicity.
Financial pressures were mentioned, but Cassa said that in a small company the difficulty of replacing injured dancers was even more of a worry day today. "We have a very good medical team...and I married a physiotherapist - I planned well ahead."
Although both Christopher and Ballet Black were initially known for abstract works, the whole panel spoke of the pleasure of working on a narrative ballet. It was clear that the tale created by Christopher for the company is one they have found inspiring to work on. Cassa summed up the pleasure of working on such a project, saying, "Stories, people love them. Who would have thought it?"
The Ballet Bag recently visited Ballet Black in rehearsal, documenting the process with a photo gallery. Storyville is one of Ballet Black's short works coming to the Linbury Studio Theatre on 29 February 2012.]]>
As some of you are aware, we are in the process of building a new website for the Royal Opera House. We will be improving customers' experience of booking tickets online and making it easier to find information on the website.
The process of upgrading and testing our ticketing system is complicated and finding a time to do it was always going to be a challenge. We have decided to go ahead between booking periods and over a weekend as these are quieter for the box office. In reality there is never a good time to do work of this sort, but we need to be ready well before we launch the new website.
Our current website struggles to meet the needs of the increasingly large numbers who visit us each month. Part of the process described by our Chief Technology Officer Rob Greig, in the first of a series of blog posts, is to upgrade our system for booking tickets. The software that we use is called Tessitura, and is used by arts organisations including the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Albert Hall. This weekend's work is essential for the new website but all of these changes are behind the scenes, rather than to anything you will be able to see when we reopen booking on Monday.
Over the weekend you can still see some information about productions in the Discover section of the website, or on the 2011 / 12 Season Guide, but the production pages will not be visible. Phone lines and booking in person will also be closed until Monday afternoon.
Thank you for bearing with us during these changes. We hope that the short-term frustrations will be outweighed by the improvements you will see when the site relaunches later in the year.]]>
The role of Violetta will instead be sung tomorrow night by Ailyn Pérez, who performed as Verdi's heroine earlier in the run. She previously appeared as Violetta on The Royal Opera's tour of Japan in 2010 when Ermonela Jaho was taken ill during the show, delivering a performance acclaimed by The Guardian's Nicholas Wroe as 'a triumph'. Ailyn is married to tenor Stephen Costello who sings opposite her tomorrow night as Alfredo. This will mark the first time they have performed on-stage together at The Royal Opera House. The rest of the cast remain unchanged.
Watch an interview with Ailyn just before she appeared in the Royal Opera's production of La traviata.]]>
On receiving the news, Antonio Pappano said, "I am astonished but hugely honoured by this news. I am so grateful to the Royal Opera House for providing me with a platform to make music and drama with a world-class orchestra and chorus communicating our passion for this amazing art-form."
Sir John Tomlinson, currently appearing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at Covent Garden, said, "I have known and worked with Tony for 25 years now, and he commands my admiration and respect as a fine musician, an impressive pianist, a conductor who understands the singing voice like no other, and an intensely dedicated artistic leader of the Royal Opera House. All of us here in the House are absolutely delighted for him."
Tony Hall, Chief Executive, Royal Opera House said, "On behalf of everyone at the Royal Opera House, I'm absolutely thrilled and delighted that Tony Pappano has been knighted for his services to music. He has boundless energy and we all love working with him. His passion for opera communicates itself to people - those who know a lot about music and those who are new to it. We're very lucky to have him at Covent Garden. Tony has made a huge contribution to the musical life of this country, opera in particular, and works with many of the world's leading artists. It's wonderful recognition of his talent, passion and extraordinary commitment that he should be honoured in this way.
"It's also a great way for us all to celebrate the New Year, which sees some really momentous works of opera on our stage at Covent Garden over the coming months with Tony at the helm".
Antonio Pappano is conducting Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg until 8 January and you can hear the opera broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 2.45pm on New Year's Day.
Full details of the New Year's Honours list can be found on the Directgov website.]]>
Showing on BBC Two at 1.35pm on Christmas Eve, Pappano's Essential Tosca follows the acclaimed Opera Italia series, shown on BBC Four last year.
In Essential Tosca, Antonio Pappano explores the ravishing and gut-wrenching music of Puccini's Tosca and the importance of Rome in the opera. Antonio takes us through the work, both at the piano and in rehearsal with the stars of the Royal Opera House's recent production of Tosca, which is shown on BBC Two immediately after the documentary. The ROH cast includes Angela Gheorghiu as Floria Tosca, Bryn Terfel as Baron Scarpia and tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi.
Pappano's Essential Tosca is the perfect introduction to the opera for those who haven't seen it but should also offer new insights to those familiar with the great work. You can watch an extended preview here:
If this gives you a taste for Maestro Pappano's work you can watch a recent Insights event he recorded about Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg earlier this month, filmed in front of an audience at the Royal Opera House
Antonio Pappano is conducting Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Royal Opera House until 8 January 2012. Find details of forthcoming Insights events on the ROH website.]]>
We are saddened to hear of the death of the legendary soprano Sena Jurinac. She first appeared at the Royal Opera House in the role of Dorabella (Così fan tutte), with the Vienna State Opera in 1947 and went on to appear as Cio Cio San (Madama Butterfly) to great acclaim with the Covent Garden Opera Company early in 1959.
You can see a list of Sena Jurinac's appearances at Covent Garden on the Royal Opera House Collections website, although as this is a work in progress her performances as Mimi (La bohème) and Leonore (Fidelio) are not included.
Did you see Jurinac perform at Covent Garden or elsewhere in the world? Are there particular recordings you would recommend to anyone unfamiliar with her work? Let us know.


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text:
(341 reviews)
|Average Rating.
|Would buy this product again.
*TOP REVIEWER* sherrier on 8/19/2011 10:20:00 AM more reviews by sherrier
Age: 44-55 Skin: Combination, Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
I have many perfumes but this is probably my favorite. I received a sample months ago. As soon as I sprayed it on, I knew I had to have a large bottle so I purchased. I have worn this everyday since. I haven't even looked at my other perfumes. It is a vanilla type scent with some citrus and cinnamon. I smell no florals and that is fine with me. I have been wearing it this summer but I think it will be even better in the winter. It is a warm, close scent. Just lovely. It has good staying power. I spray it on lightly now that is summer because it could become quite heavy if you spray on too much in warm weather. The only thing I do not like is the bottle....it is hard to hold and it is hard to find what side the spray opening is located. But other than that, it is wonderful.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
*TOP REVIEWER* SNIFFMEALLOVER on 8/5/2011 8:31:00 PM more reviews by SNIFFMEALLOVER
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue
I may be pushing it, but I find it similar to SL Un Bois Vanille. Thick, heavy, sweet vanilla. I think men would really like this. Nice if applied lightly on a cold day.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Kimmeh5 on 7/27/2011 9:44:00 AM more reviews by Kimmeh5
Age: 19-24 Skin: Sensitive, Fair Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse Eyes: Brown
I got this as a sample from a beauty website. I LOVE it. I have never been much of a perfume scent type of gal, but I'm going to be purchasing the bigger container. I rated it a 4 mostly because when I first apply it, it smells a bit odd. Not a BAD odd, just... a slight off putting scent. After a few minutes it becomes a very lovely fragrance and I think this is going to end up being my signature scent. It lasts a very long time, too.
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*TOP REVIEWER* pinkfrost52 on 7/23/2011 3:44:00 AM more reviews by pinkfrost52
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Black, Straight, Medium Eyes: Brown
I'm on the fence with this scent. I'm not too crazy about the combination of spicy cinnamon,vanilla and bitter orange on my skin. My friend however dowses herself with this perfume on a regular basis which is how I discovered it. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely warm scent that would smell amazing on the right person, but unfortunately it smells a little odd to me. I like how there's a slight nutty note (almonds?) that comes through as the scent dries down as well as the typical musk/woody note combo in the very end. The bottle is very pretty too :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
brendarubi on 7/2/2011 2:19:00 AM more reviews by brendarubi
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
this perfume has become my signature fragrance :) . looked forever and finally found my signature scent, it's very sweet, with high notes of vanilla, but it's a whole lot better than just plain vanilla, it's got the cinnamon and orange to make it much more complex than just plain vanilla. a great sweet fragrance that's not overly sweet and i seriously just need one spray and i'm good.i've loved all the lolita lempicka fragrances, but this has to be my favorite. definetly recommend, plus the bottle is super adorable, i love displaying it on my vanity
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
micaro84 on 6/28/2011 8:04:00 AM more reviews by micaro84
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Green
This isn't going to be a long review, all I have to say that it smells like heaven! When I wear this, my boyfriend keeps sniffing me, telling me I smell like carnival (in a good way)
(sorry for the spelling mistakes, English isn't my first language)
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Ayuna on 6/18/2011 9:01:00 AM more reviews by Ayuna
Age: 19-24 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
I got it in TJ maxx huge sale without even knowing how does it smell =) it was the first experience in my life, but I would do it again, since I loved it!
the bottle is super cute and the fragrance has it's own character that will last for quite a bit which I do appreciate.
I do not use it everyday though just because I don't use the smae perfumes everyday in general.
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boomup on 6/14/2011 12:34:00 AM more reviews by boomup
Age: 44-55 Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Cool Hair: Black, Straight, Fine Eyes: Hazel
Fragrance is so subjective, but I love this L de Lolita Lempicka EDP so much, I felt compelled to write a review for the following reasons:
1. I RARELY find and fragrances I truly love!
2. Many of them give me a headache, and this doesn't - Yay!
3. I love how it smells from start to finish (top notes to bottom)
4. I don't find it "too strong" or "old lady-ish", but not too young either.
To me it's sweet and somewhat feminine, yet earthy and sensuous. The only con is it only lasts several hours. As others have said, the bottle is beautiful.
So, if you can relate to my experience, you might want to give this a try.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
xoblairLove on 6/12/2011 9:26:00 PM more reviews by xoblairLove
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine Eyes: Brown
I LOVE this smell!
My mother wanted to buy this for my cousin, and I liked it, and didnt want to have the same, so we bought her another, and my mom said we would buy this another time... It has been over a year, maybe 2 and still to this day i do not hav eit :(
& I say when i find it i will buy it. I LOVE THIS SMELL!!!
it's beutiful, and cannot wait to get it :)
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smileybiker on 6/12/2011 9:17:00 PM more reviews by smileybiker
Age: 30-35 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue
I bought this over Lolita. Mainly because this was on offer and i never saw Lolita on offer. However I have since purchased 2 bottles of lolita (purple bottle). I did like this, and its an unusual smell, but I now prefer the sweeter smell of lolita. Definitely worth a try and i recommend. Not on my repurchase list just yet
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