This autumn's English National Ballet programme sees two works new to the company’s repertoire: Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth and Frank Andersen’s La Sylphide, performed at the Manchester Palace Theatre, Milton Keynes Theatre and London Coliseum, where Roland Petite’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort is also to be 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."
Featuring three central figures, a Woman, a Man, and a Messenger, this exploration of life, death and renewal is set to Mahler’s song cycle, Das Liede von der Erde, performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic on the 25th anniversary of MacMillan’s death.
Frank Andersen’s faithful version of the 1830s Romantic ballet La Sylphide will be performed for the first time in the UK. Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort was last performed by ENB in 2013 as part of its Ecstasy and Death programme. Akram Khan’s Giselle returns with performances at Sadler’s Wells and the Liverpool Empire.
Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet, set to Prokofiev’s score performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, returns with performances at the Bristol Hippodrome, marking the 40th anniversary of the production, which was originally created for ENB in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.