Founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Frederick Ashton created more than 100 ballets over a 60 year career. Showcasing three of his shorter works, this disc reflects the breadth of his sophisticated, elegant and widely popular style. Les Patineurs evokes the Edwardian skating rink, with all its youthful charm and humour, in contrast to Scènes de Ballet where sharp geometric shapes and the music of Igor Stravinsky are combined to create perhaps Ashton's most modernist work. Divertissements, a collection of eight short dances, features some of Ashton's most lyrical choreography, including pas de deux set to Romantic masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Massenet.

Works

Meyerbeer: Les Patineurs
Laura Morera, Samantha Raine, Steven McRae, Sarah Lamb, Rupert Pennefather, Christina Arestis, Francesca Filpi, Ryoichi Hirano, Kenta Kura, Liam Scarlett & Andrej Uspenski
Paul Murphy (conductor)

Stravinsky: Scènes de ballet
Miyako Yoshida, Ivan Putrov, Edward Watson & Lauren Cuthbertson
Barry Wordsworth (conductor)

Divertissement
Tchaikovsky: Awakening Pas de deux (1968)
Darcey Bussell & Jonathan Cope
Massenet: Thaïs Pas de deux (1971)
Mara Galeazzi & Thiago Soares
Paganini: Devil’s Holiday Variation (1939)
Viacheslav Samodurov
Brahms: Five Brahms Waltzes in the manner of Isadora Duncan (1975)
Tamara Rojo
Strauss: Voices of Spring Pas de deux (1977)
Leanne Benjamin & Carlos Acosta
Tommasini after Paganini: Devil’s Holiday Pas de deux (1939)
Laura Morera & Ricardo Cervera
Barry Wordsworth (conductor)

Cast
Carlos Acosta (Divertissements)
Leanne Benjamin (Divertissements)
Darcey Bussell (Divertissements)
Thiago Soares (Divertissements)
Steven McRae (Les Patineurs)
Samantha Raine (Les Patineurs)
Myako Yoshida (Scènes de Ballet)
Ivan Putrov (Scènes de Ballet)
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Paul Murphy; Barry Wordsworth

Production
Company: The Royal Ballet
Television Director: Ross MacGibbon
Choreographer: Frederick Ashton

Disc Information
Catalogue Number: OA1064D
Date of Performance: 2009
Running Time: 96 minutes
Sound: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic / 4:3
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES
Label: Opus Arte