Afternoon of a Faun Mixed description
A gorgeous mixed programme from The Royal Ballet on the many facets of love and the fragility of life, with works by two of the worlds greatest choreographers, Jerome Robbins and Kenneth MacMillan. Afternoon of a Faun, Robbin’s exquisite response to Debussy’s languorous Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune, presents a boy and a girl in a dance studio who, despite their erotically charged encounter, cannot drag their gaze away from the mirror and their own forms. At the heart of the programme is Robbins’s In the Night – a simply breathtaking exploration of a love affair through the eyes of three contrasting couples experiencing different stages of a relationship, set to music by Chopin. MacMillan’s sublime choreography of Mahlers Song of the Earth – a setting of Chinese T’ang dynasty poetry – illuminates the transience of life, especially through the moving interactions of the man, the woman and the enigmatic messenger of Death. Conducted by Music Director of The Royal Ballet Barry Wordsworth, this is a beautiful ending to the company’s 2014/15 season.
Playing at Royal Opera House
Important information
Latecomers may be asked to wait in the foyer until a suitable break in performance.