Birmingham Royal Ballet’s autumn season features a fitting balance of classical and contemporary ballet including Giselle and a Mixed Bill, including the World Premiere of the latest Ballet Now commission and a partnership with Ballet Black.
Autumn 2019 is almost a ‘bridge season’ during which Birmingham Royal Ballet moves towards the arrival of Carlos Acosta as Director in January 2020. The season is also classic Birmingham Royal Ballet with its balance of classical and contemporary works: a three-date autumn tour of Giselle and a Mixed Bill featuring the latest Ballet Now commission plus a partnership with Ballet Black before a Christmas revival of Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome and the Royal Albert Hall to end the year.
The fourth commission from Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Ballet Now initiative is A Brief Nostalgia by rising young choreographer and Queensland Ballet dancer Jack Lister. Featuring a new score by award-winning Scottish (and first-time ballet score) composer Tom Harrold, this world premiere will open the mixed bill before Ballet Black will take to the stage to perform Cathy Marston’s critically acclaimed The Suit, inspired by Can Themba’s South African fable. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s dancers return to close the programme with Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, a portrait of seven couples that traces the arc of romantic relationships. Nine Sinatra Songs is one of Tharp’s most frequently performed works and has become an international favourite.
David Bintley’s Birmingham Royal Ballet legacy takes immediate effect with a UK tour of his and Galina Samsova’s production of Giselle this autumn. First staged 20 years ago, and featuring Adolphe Adam’s original score performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Birmingham Royal Ballet Principals Momoko Hirata and César Morales will star on the opening night as the heroine and Count Albrecht. The revival of this staging opens at Birmingham Hippodrome before travelling to Plymouth ahead of a London run at Sadler’s Wells.
The end of the year also sees the now annual revival of Sir Peter Wright’s acclaimed production of The Nutcracker, which returns to Birmingham Hippodrome for the festive season, transporting the audience beyond the theatre to a realm of giant Christmas trees and dancing snowflakes. The magic continues at the Royal Albert Hall for a third year with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s spectacular reimagined version of The Nutcracker, complete with Simon Callow as the voice of Drosselmeyer.