Martin Harvey
Giselle is the quintessential Romantic ballet. Its title role, one of the most technically demanding and emotionally challenging in the classical repertory, is here danced by Alina Cojocaru, partnered by Johan Kobborg as Count Albrecht. This tale of the transcendental power of love over death is evocatively portrayed through Peter Wrights sensitive staging and John Macfarlanes designs, which beautifully contrast the human and supernatural worlds mastered from a High Definition recording and true surround sound. Conductor : Boris Gruzin Orchestra : The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
This is Ashton's Sylvia as a Second-Empire entertainement, magnificently danced and sumptuously staged. Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle are flawless in roles that are quite difficult yet ironically not showy. They make excellent partners. Soloists and Corps dance in exhuberant good form. The Covent Garden Orchestra sounds primed for Delibes marvelous score, one of the very, very few musical masterpieces to be found among ballet scores. Ashton's choreography is very pretty even if never quite reaching heights of beauty or originality he showed elsewhere, e.g., Symphonic Variations or The Dream, not to mention his re-castings of Petipa.
Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle star in Frederick Ashton's Sylvia, restored to the splendour of its elegant and opulent three-act form for the 75th anniversary celebrations of The Royal Ballet. With origins in Greek mythology, Sylvia was loved by Aminta, abducted by Orion and eventually rescued by Eros.
An ex-SAS officer and an ex member of the Special Boat Services, team up to search for £ 2 million worth of diamonds which go missing when an aircraft is hijacked. Ruthless terrorists seize a London embassy residence. The SAS are called in. There's intense political pressure for a quick resolution. The worst fears of David Barber, the officer in command, are tragically realised. With a brilliant career in ruins, the prospects for ex-Major Barber seem grim until he meets Colonel Patrick Ansell, Managing director of Saracen systems Ltd.
