Three Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan - DVD

ENGLISH

Three Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan (OA1038D) (2010)<br /> <br /> Sarah Lamb; Steven McRae; Carlos Acosta; Leanne Benjamin; Edward Watson; Marianela Nuñez; Rupert Pennefather; Yuhui Choe; The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Dominic Grier; Robert Clark; Barry Wordsworth<br /> <br /> MacMillan’s vision has been vital in shaping The Royal Ballet’s style and repertory, and what better way to appreciate his art than with this rare chance to experience three contrasting works in a single performance. Abstract, dramatic, humorous - this programme gives a wonderfully varied introduction not just to MacMillan’s work but to the beauty and dramatic power of ballet itself. Concerto, to Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto, contrasts moments of exuberance and elegiac reflection. The Judas Tree places a single woman among 13 men to enact a harrowing event that is recognizably contemporary but with biblical overtones. Elite<br /> Syncopations completes the programme with a sparkling evocation of a dance hall that brings ragtime rhythms to the dance, and a ragtime band to the stage.<br /> <br /> "There has never been a choreographer that I can think of who could produce three such contrasting works, and you sit watching in wonderment at the fertile imaginings of his mind." (The Daily Telegraph)<br /> <br /> "It's grisly, and yet horribly exciting in its momentum, as the men show off to each other like skateboarders, flinging themselves into barrel turns while knotting and unknotting their legs." (The Independent)<br /> <br /> "As far as I am aware there are no other versions of Elite Syncopations or Concerto currently available on DVD and as mentioned these are significant works in the MacMillan canon so pretty much an obligatory purchase for admirers of his work. As a programme this strikes me as an excellent triple bill as diverse in its emotional range as it is accomplished in its technical excellence from every department.<br /> " (Musicweb International)