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Royal Opera House
41 Covent Garden Piazza
London
WC2E 8RF
Directions:
Take the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden Station, the Opera House is a 5 minute walk and is located in the corner of the Piazza.
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The Dream / Song of the Earth
Royal Opera House
41 Covent Garden Piazza
London
WC2E 8RF
Evenings: Vairous dates and times
Matinees: Various dates and times
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Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan in their respective elements: two defining styles of The Royal Ballet in a single programme.
Ashton's one-act rendering of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream brings out the contrasts of mortal and fairy worlds as a disagreement between Oberon and Titania (the fairy king and queen) escalates to comic confusion.
Mendelssohn's music - the Overture, Scherzo and Wedding March are especially well known - is a perfect partner to the ballet's shifting moods, with witty invention and virtuoso dance that culminates in a powerful pas de deux for Oberon and Titania.
In Song of the Earth, the contemplative and poetic interpretation of Mahler's song-cycle - a setting of Chinese T'ang dynasty poetry - shows MacMillan in profound mood.
In it, the transience of life is illuminated, especially through the moving interactions of the Man, the Woman and the enigmatic Messenger of Death.
Barry Wordsworth, Music Director of The Royal Ballet, conducts the richly ranging music for a ballet programme that concludes with beauty and serenity.
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