This autumn, English National Ballet will add two works to its repertoire: Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth and Frank Andersen’s La Sylphide, performed on tour at Manchester's Palace Theatre, Milton Keynes Theatre and London Coliseum, where Roland Petite’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort is also revived.
ENB Artistic Director Tamara Rojo CBE said, “I am so pleased that next season we are able to present the masterpiece Song of the Earth in this anniversary year of Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
“Song of the Earth is a great example of MacMillan’s choreographic style. Influenced by the original Chinese poems that Mahler used to create the score, we can see how MacMillan used these delicate movements to form part of the dramatic choreography. This incredibly moving work is a wonderful vehicle for the extremely talented dancers in the company and I can’t wait for our audiences to see them perform it next season."
First performed in 1965, MacMillan’s choreography for Song of the Earth was different from his previous work and is set to Mahler’s song cycle Das Liede von der Erde, performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic. These performances coincide with the 25th anniversary of MacMillan’s death.
Frank Andersen’s version of the 1830s Romantic ballet La Sylphide, performed for the first time in the UK, sees James wake from a dream on the morning of his wedding to Effy to encounter a mysterious sylphide before him, setting off a fateful sequence of events.
Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort, last performed by ENB in 2013, follows a young man compelled by love for a cruel mistress. He desperately waits for her but when she finally arrives, it is to torment him.
Following its run last year, seen by more than 40,000 people on tour and recipient of the Robert Robson Award for Dance at last week's Manchester Theatre Awards, Akram Khan’s Giselle returns in autumn with performances at Sadler’s Wells and Liverpool Empire. Khan’s Giselle is one of a community of migrant workers cast out of their jobs in a condemned garment factory.
Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet also returns in autumn for the production's 40th anniversary with performances at Bristol Hippodrome. Set to Prokofiev's score performed by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, the production was originally created in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.