The 2012 / 2013 Royal Opera Season opens with the first revival of its latest production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in a bravura staging with a stunning international cast and the full resources of a world-leading opera house. Visually spectacular, emotionally overwhelming and musically glorious, the experience of a full Ring cycle is as intense and uplifting as opera gets.
This production presents the monumental characteristics of the work visually and symbolically alongside Wagner’s great musical score. Elemental forces of nature are especially vivid, and the bold stage pictures are memorable for their scale and intensity. The mythology of ancient sagas provided the origins of the story’s gods, giants, dwarfs, water nymphs, dragons and humans. Juxtaposed in this production is the contemporary, especially the influence of modern science, illuminating the Ring cycle’s themes at once both timeless and timely.
Beginning with Das Rheingold in 2004, a wonderful creative team brought to Covent Garden its first Ring of the new century: Royal Opera Music Director Antonio Pappano, director Keith Warner and the designers Marie-Jeanne Lecca and the late Stefanos Lazaridis. The first complete cycle was in 2007, and these performances at the start of our 2012/13 Season will be its first revival, fittingly timed as the concluding work of the Olympic Programme.
22 mat | 24 | 28 | 31 October 2011
11 | 12 mat | 14 | 21 | 22 | 25 November 2011
1 | 8 | 10 | 15 mat and eve | 17 mat | 21 mat and eve December 2011
A fairytale ballet with a Tchaikovsky score that has delighted audiences for over a hundred years. From Petipa’s 1890 original, to De Valois’ 1946 production, and this 2006 restoration, the best of classical ballet combine in a richly colourful and perennially popular staging.
Manon
3 | 5 mat | 8 | 9 mat and eve | 15 | 17 | 26 mat and eve November 2011
A fairytale ballet with a Tchaikovsky score that has delighted audiences for over a hundred years. From Petipa’s 1890 original, to De Valois’ 1946 production, and this 2006 restoration, the best of classical ballet combine in a richly colourful and perennially popular staging.
Asphodel Meadows/Enigma Variations/Gloria
19 mat and eve | 23 | 24 | 29 | 30 November
A celebration of the creative talents of The Royal Ballet in three one-act works. Liam Scarlett’s award-winning piece set to Poulenc’s effervescent Double Piano Concerto; Ashton’s dramatic interpretation of Elgar’s magisterial character studies in music and MacMillan’s poignant evocation of the horrors of war.
The Nutcracker
3 | 5 | 7 | 11 mat | 13 | 18 mat | 20 mat | 23 mat and eve | 24 mat | 28 mat and eve | 29 | 30 | 31 mat and eve December 2011
2 mat | 3 mat and eve | 7 mat and eve | 11 | 14 mat and eve | 18 January 2012
Sparkling with magic and wonder, it wouldn’t be Christmas without The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker. Peter Wright’s spectacular production, the well-loved melodies of Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score, the exotic set-pieces – it’s as fresh as ever to delight Covent Garden audiences.
Romeo and Juliet
10 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 19 January
3 mat | 7 | 8 | 10 mat and eve | 21 | 22 | 24 | 31 March 2012
The essence of Shakespeare’s timeless love story, this is one of the signature works of The Royal Ballet. Memorable moments show the principals at their best in a production that extravagantly evokes the contrasts of its Renaissance setting, from crowded fight scenes in bustling public places to the intimate moments the lovers share.
The Dream/Song of the Earth
1 | 2 mat | 6 | 8 | 9 February 2012
5 March 2012
Two defining styles of The Royal Ballet: Ashton and MacMillan in their respective elements. The dazzling choreography and sparkling Mendelssohn score of the one-act rendering of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is paired with a contemplative and poetic interpretation of Mahler’s song-cycle.
Last Season’s sell-out new full-length ballet. Christopher Wheeldon brings to life Lewis Carroll’s eternally appealing story with its extraordinary world and cast of eccentric characters – an amazing growing and shrinking Alice, a terrifying comic Queen of Hearts, a tap-dancing Mad Hatter and an exotic hookah-smoking caterpillar.
New Scarlett/Polyphonia/New McGregor
5 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 23 April 2012
The Royal Ballet at the cutting edge of 21st-century ballet in two world premieres and a contemporary classic. Liam Scarlett follows his success of 2010’s Asphodel Meadows with a new work. Christopher Wheeldon revives his compelling ‘Romantic piano ballet’ from 2003, Polyphonia. Wayne McGregor, Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer, follows the tremendous success of Chroma (2006), Infra (2008) and Limen (2009) with another unique vision of dance today.
La Fille mal gardée
20 | 24 | 26 | 28 April 2012
2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 16 May 2012
A treat for ballet lovers and newcomers alike. A cheery love story with larger-than-life characters that include the Widow Simone and her famous show-stopping Clog Dance. Ashton’s light and fluent choreography have made this an English treasure of The Royal Ballet’s heritage and a family favourite.
Ballo della regina/La Sylphide
21 | 22 | 24 | 26 mat and eve May 2012
7 | 12 | 15 June 2012
Two facets of technical brilliance: the brilliance and energy of Balanchine and the swift precision and elegance of Bournonville. Ballo della regina is a showcase of pure dance, and La Sylphide is an atmospheric gothic drama of haunting images. Wonderful range in one ballet programme.
The Prince of the Pagodas
2 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 21 | 27 | 29 June 2012
A highlight of the Royal Ballet Season: Macmillan’s three-act ballet is brought back to the stage for the first time since 1996. It is a wonderful opportunity to discover an exotic tale of fantasy set to a glorious score by Benjamin Britten, presented with all the drama and inventiveness of MacMillan’s great choreographic art.
Birthday Offering/A Month in the Country/Les Noces
30 June
3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 July 2012
Three works with a particularly strong place in The Royal Ballet’s unique, world-class identity. Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering was created to put the spotlight on the extraordinary talents of the Company’s ballerinas; his character study of domestic drama, A Month in the Country, brings out the story-telling and characterizations that are also part of great ballet. The final work, Les Noces, is a must-see classic of both 20th-century ballet and the Royal Ballet repertory.
Metamorphosis Titian 2012
14 | 16 | 17 | 20 July 2012
A unique collaboration between choreographers, contemporary artists, composers, The Royal Ballet and The National Gallery. Titian’s three great paintings in The National Gallery collection inspire new works by such choreographers as Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon and artists including Chris Ofili and Mark Wallinger. An extraordinary conjunction of extraordinary talent in movement, image and sound. Part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
3 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 22 October 2011
25 mat | 28 November 2011
2 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 20 December 2011
2 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 January 2012
Verdi’s heartbreaking interpretation of the tragic life of the self-sacrificing courtesan Violetta is one of the best-loved of all operas. In Richard Eyre’s lavish and touching production it is a consistent audience favourite of The Royal Opera repertory.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
19 | 22 | 27 December 2011
1 mat | 4 | 8 mat January 2012
Wagner’s great celebration of song returns in Graham Vick’s production of colour, charm and inventiveness. Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, conducts a wonderful cast for this most glorious of 19th-century operas.
Mozart and Da Ponte’s serial seducer is back! Francesca Zambello’s fiery interpretation has two great casts, with Royal Opera regulars and audience favourites Gerald Finley and Erwin Schrott sharing the title role. The first of the Mozart-Da Ponte operas this Season, it is a musical masterpiece of a work and a visual treat of a production.
Mozart and Da Ponte’s serial seducer is back! Francesca Zambello’s fiery interpretation has two great casts, with Royal Opera regulars and audience favourites Gerald Finley and Erwin Schrott sharing the title role. The first of the Mozart-Da Ponte operas this Season, it is a musical masterpiece of a work and a visual treat of a production.
Così fan tutte
27 | 30 January 2012
2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 13 February 2012
The second of the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas this Season is intimate and intense. This is Mozart at his finest. Colin Davis conducts in the repertory for which he is universally acclaimed. Jonathan Miller’s staging matches contemporary elegance with eternal truths as two men wager on their girlfriends’ fidelity with uneasy results. This is fine opera, a classic production and an ideal cast.
Le nozze di Figaro
11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 28 February 2012
2 March 2012
One of the greatest of all operas, the third and final Mozart-Da Ponte opera of this Season returns in David McVicar’s stylish, acclaimed production. An extraordinarily fine cast of singers – including Simon Keenlyside, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, Aleksandra Kurzak and Kate Royal – perform this much-loved genius work under the baton of Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera.
Rusalka
27 February 2012
1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 March 2012
Dvorák’s Rusalka is a fabulous mix of myth and magic, human and supernatural, love and death. Its music is wonderfully rich and melodic, the ‘Song to the Moon’ a favourite popular classic. Rusalka is staged for the first time ever at Covent Garden in a production new to The Royal Opera, which updates the setting to make even more impact through its gripping themes of love and betrayal.
Miss Fortune
12 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 28 March 2012
The UK premiere of a new opera from one of the most accessible and insightful composers of today, Judith Weir. Film and opera director Shi-Zheng Chen makes his first appearance with The Royal Opera for this adaptation of a Sicilian tale of a young girl and the twists of fate that shape her rags-and-riches life. Conductor Paul Daniel and soprano Emma Bell in the title role are just two elements of a Season highlight.
Rigoletto
30 March 2012
2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 14 mat | 17 | 21 April 2012
A classic of opera, Verdi’s famous score is loved for its melody and its drama. David McVicar’s immensely popular production, in period costume, brings the 15th-century court of Mantua alive: its womanizing Duke, the court jester Rigoletto bent on revenge and his daughter, Gilda, who the Duke loves but still destroys. A celebrated score of familiar music conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, and a drama of the passions of love and hate.
La Fille du régiment
19 | 25 | 27 April 2012
1 | 7 | 10 May 2012
Joyous and funny – a hit success of recent Seasons. Donizetti’s opera is a fabulous showcase for bravura singing, while the plot of the army girl who just can’t be made a lady creates laugh-out-loud comic chaos. Laurent Pelly’s production matched with sheer exuberance in performance has made this a sell-out on each return.
La bohème
30 April 2012
3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 May 2012
19 | 23 June 2012
The traditional Royal Opera production of Puccini’s world-famous opera brings Parisian life of the 1830s to the stage with authenticity and colour. The music sweeps through the story of tragic love with a wealth of well-known numbers and beautiful moments – here with two casts of international stars, including Anja Harteros with Joseph Calleja and Barbara Frittoli with Roberto Alagna.
Falstaff
15 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 30 May 2012
A new production of Verdi’s final masterpiece drawn from Shakespeare’s great comic creation. An ageing but financially embarrassed knight of the realm runs up against the nouveau riche as he gives in to his taste for women and food – his final comeuppance is inevitable! Conductor Daniele Gatti leads a fabulous cast in Robert Carsen’s new interpretation of this vibrant work of comedy matched to sublime music.
Salome
31 May 2012
5 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 16 June 2012
David McVicar’s intense and adult production of a tense and adult drama. Based on Oscar Wilde’s play, Strauss’s opera conveys superbly the extraordinary mix of the erotic and the depraved in the story of Salome, her perverted passion and her violent end. Shocking and sensual, this is a 20th-century masterpiece in a riveting presentation.
Les Troyens
25 | 28 June 2012
1 mat | 5 | 8 mat | 11 July 2012
Berlioz’s epic version of the Trojan war and its aftermath in a new production by David McVicar, conducted by Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera. Not seen at the Royal Opera House since 1972, this five-act operatic tour de force is cast to the hilt with such international names as Jonas Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Westbroek and Anna Caterina Antonacci. A major event of the whole Royal Opera Season.
Otello
12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 July 2012
Antonio Pappano conducts Verdi for the second late great work on a Shakespeare theme from The Royal Opera this Season. Elijah Moshinsky’s period production is matched with a fine cast for this universally acclaimed operatic masterpiece of dangerous passions: love and intrigue, envy and deadly jealousy.
