Royal Ballet Mixed Programme

The unique history and identity of The Royal Ballet links three works in a mixed programme that puts to the fore the dancer's power to convey character and emotion.

Liam Scarlett, dancer with the Company and a young choreographic talent to watch, created his award-winning Asphodel Meadows on The Royal Ballet in 2010.

Abstract and emotionally charged, its three central couples suggest a journey through the moods and nuances of love as Scarlett's contemporary use of classical style is matched to Poulenc's effervescent Double Piano Concerto.

Enigma Variations is Frederick Ashton's dramatic interpretation of Elgar's magisterial character studies in music. The Founder Choreographer of The Royal Ballet brought to the stage brilliance and depth to match the detail of Elgar's much-loved music.

With designs evoking Elgar's Edwardian times, the ballet is aptly evocative of the individuals he based his music on as well as a fine work for ballet's art in its own right. The final work, by Kenneth MacMillan - Principal Choreographer of The Royal Ballet for some 15 years, is a poignant evocation of the horrors of war. Using the music of Poulenc's Gloria, it matches a message of humanity to imagery of great beauty.� �