Birmingham Royal Ballet Full Programme and Casting Announced for Tchaikovsky Classics

The award-winning Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet Sinfonia return to the city’s famous Symphony Hall on 28 March with a spectacular night of Tchaikovsky Classics.

Tchaikovsky Classics celebrates the music of the legendary composer whose classical ballet scores for Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, a feature in BRB’s classical ballet programming, are recognised across the globe.

The evening features world class dancers from BRB’s main company including principals Lachlan Monaghan, Max Maslen, Miki Mizutani, Momoko Hirata and Tzu-Chao Chou, as well as students from Birmingham’s Elmhurst Ballet School

Performance highlights include excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s great works including the tender and romantic white swan pas de deux from Swan Lake; The Sleeping Beauty’s heart-stopping, bravura pas de deux for the Bluebird and Princess Florine from Act IV and the beautiful grand pas de deux for the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker.

Alongside these, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Principal Conductor Paul Murphy, who will be BRB’s new Music Director and Principal Conductor from July, will play some of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral music that inspired the greatest 20th-century choreographers such as George Balanchine (Theme and Variations).

Further highlights include the Russian Dance from Swan Lake, rarely performed in current versions of the ballet, and features one of the most prominent and virtuosic violin solos in the repertoire performed by Leader of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia Robert Gibbs.

Finally, making his conducting debut performance with the Sinfonia, will be Yi Wei, BRB’s Constant Lambert Conducting Fellow, who will be taking the baton for Marche Slave, Op.31.

The full programme and casting has now been announced:

Swan Lake’s White Swan pas de deux will be danced by Miki Mizutani and Max Maslen. The Cygnets pas de quatre will be performed by Rosanna Ely, Reina Fuchigami, Frieda Katoch, and Rachele Pizzillo. Swan Lake’s Act III pas de deux will be danced by Momoko Hirata and Mathias Dingman.

The Sleeping Beauty’s Garland Dance will be performed by Elmhurst Ballet School. Sarabande and the Prince’s Solo will be danced by Tzu-Chao Chou, while the Bluebird pas de deux will be performed by Sofia Linares and Enrique Bejarano.

The Nutcracker grand pas de deux will be danced by Yu Kurihara and Lachlan Monaghan.

Additional dances include: Polacca from Suite no.3; Swan Lake’s Russian Dance; Marche Slave, Op. 31, Polonaise from Eugene Onegin; and Capriccio Italien.

Tickets for Tchaikovsky Classics at Symphony Hall, part of B: Music, on 28March at 7.30pm are available at www.bmusic.co.uk

BRB’s Tchaikovsky Classics, Image credit BRB