Saturday, November 14

[dirac]

A review of the Royal Ballet by Sarah Kirkup for Bachtrack.

Quote

Gala events can be tricky to pull off, musically and artistically. Unless there’s a narrative to drive it forward, it can become a series of pleasant but meaningless divertissements. The Royal Ballet avoided this with a strong start – the premiere of First Soloist Valentino Zucchetti’s Scherzo, to the second movement of Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony. Marking Zucchetti’s first foray onto the main stage as a choreographer, Scherzo was a welcome showcase for the Company’s younger dancers. They all relished the energy and musicality of Zucchetti’s exuberant choreography, which was at times a visual manifestation of Rachmaninov’s sweeping orchestral score, played with commitment by the Royal Opera House Orchestra under Jonathan Lo. The Rachmaninov theme then continued with Ashton’s Rhapsody, with the wonderful Robert Clark on piano, sublimely danced by Alexander Campbell and Akane Takada.