George Balanchine’s evocation of the sparkle of gemstones is a brilliant ballet classic.

Inspired by a trip to the legendary jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, JEWELS is an extravagant abstract ballet in three parts, each drawing on a different jewel, a different composer and a different age in ballet history.

The French Romantic music of Fauré provides the impetus for the subtlety and lyricism of Emeralds, while the fire of Rubies comes from Stravinsky and the jazz-age energy of New York. Grandeur and elegance complete the ballet with the splendour of Imperial Russia and the peerless music of Tchaikovsky in Diamonds.

Jewels is a masterclass in the many luminous facets of classical ballet and indeed of The Royal Ballet itself: the virtuoso choreography of Balanchine, the intensity of the soloists and the precision of the entire Company.