Royal Ballet

Swan Lake

In Cinemas 25, 26 & 29 May 2024
Conductor
Martin Georgiev
Orchestra
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Cast
Yasmine Naghdi (Odette/Odile), Matthew Ball (Prince Siegfried), Christina Arestis (The Queen), Thomas Whitehead (Von Rothbart), Joonhyuk Jun (Benno), Letitia Dias & Annette Buvoli (Prince Siegfried’s Younger Sisters)
Music
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Choreography
Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, with additional choreography by Liam Scarlett and Frederick Ashton
Production
Liam Scarlett
Designs
John Macfarlane
Duration
3h24 including two intervals
Captured live from Covent Garden, London 24 Apr 2024
Official Event Listing
  • Outstanding! Beautifully judged, elegantly choreographed, stunningly designed and dramatically rich. Add superlative performances and you have an evening that will live long in the memory.
    Debra Craine, THE TIMES
    Glorious! Liam Scarlett’s reworking of the beloved ballet is clean, clear and a sumptuous showcase for the Royal Ballet’s star dancers.
    Siobhan Murphy, THE STAGE
    Grand, eloquent, superb. Liam Scarlett's fine refashioning looks better than ever.
    Jenny Gilbert, THE ARTS DESK
    Ballet heaven.
    Vikki Jane Vile, BROADWAY WORLD

Ballet in four acts (1895)

Beloved by ballet fans and a sensation for first time ballet-goers, classical ballet's most powerful tale of love, treachery and forgiveness returns to the Royal Opera House stage.

Out hunting, Prince Siegfried (Matthew Ball) chances upon a flock of swans. One among them transforms into the beautiful human Odette (Yasmine Naghdi) and he is immediately enamoured. But Odette is bound by a spell which keeps her captive as a swan during the day. Can Siegfried free her?

Tchaikovsky’s sensational score combines with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Petipa and Ivanov’s quintessential ballet classic. The production offers audiences an irresistible mix of enchanting solos, spectacular pas de deux and atmospheric corps de ballet sequences, capturing Prince Siegfried and Odette's relationship as it unravels over two acts under the malignant influence of Von Rothbart. 

Opening in Spring and returning in Summer, Swan Lake remains to this day one of the best-loved works in the classical ballet canon, demanding delicacy, grace, and strong, virtuosic technique from the dancers that take on its central roles.

ROH Guidance: Content suitable for all.

Sydney patrons please note: Due to the recent closure of Palace Verona for building redevelopment, this production will screen nearby at Palace Moore Park, located in the Entertainment Quarter precinct in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Advance tickets now on sale.

Royal Ballet

Based at the Royal Opera House, The Royal Ballet, led by Director Kevin O'Hare, is Britain’s largest ballet company.  The Company has a wide-ranging repertory showcasing the great classical ballets, heritage works from Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, as well as new works by the foremost choreographers of today. 

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