En direct, Vidéo: Rechercher des critiques de musique classique, opéra et ballet | Barry Wordsworth

Sir Peter Wright’s classic Royal Ballet production returns for another festive run to enchant the young – and not so young – at Covent Garden. 

A ballet of charming nonsense, led by a triumvirate of exceptional performances 

Despite drawbacks, this is a bold and imaginative approach to creating dance theatre from the titan of gothic horror 

Exceptional performances from a cast wholly comprised of first soloists and soloists provide a good omen for the future of The Royal Ballet   

A mixed bag from three titans of twentieth century ballet. of which Les Patineurs stands the test of time, best of all; the perfect winter dream: one that comes in a snooze after mulled wine in front of a roaring log fire.    

What marks the start of Christmas? For many, it's when the Christmas tree magically grows in The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker...

Sir Peter Wright's enchanting vision of The Nutcracker continues to delight 

A delectable programme from Barry Wordsworth and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with pieces by Elgar and Vaughan Williams and a rare chance to hear John Ireland’s eclectic Piano Concerto.

With little fanfare, other than a cockerel crowing from the pit, the Royal Ballet crept to life for its new season. For a couple of hours, all was right with the world.

The Royal Ballet's Giselle is classical ballet at its best, paying deep reverence to the original with some of the heavier elements refreshed. Excellently performed by Sarah Lamb and Matthew Golding. 

The Royal Ballet gives polished, subtle performances of two works by its Founder Choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton.

This Royal Ballet programme shows Sir Frederick Ashton's versatility of subject while never scrimping on unmistakeable style.

The BBC Concert Orchestra and Barry Wordsworth were joined by Stile Antico, Jack Liebeck and Christine Rice in an exploration of the musical mind of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. 

Considering its French title, Sir Frederick Ashton’s ballet La Fille mal gardée is quintessentially English. Laura Morera and Vadim Muntagirov brought the bright spring sunshine from outside to flood the auditorium in delightfully sunny performances.

There was a noticeable difference in the audience who had come to this Prom from those who had attended the rather more serious Proms in the preceding week: colourful clothing. Gone were the sombre suits; in came casual summer dress in every imaginable colour under the sun.

Last Friday, The Royal Ballet presented an exciting bill composed of George Balanchine’s iconic Apollo (1928) and two new ballets by acclaimed choreographers Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon. The programme was cleverly designed, since Ratmansky and Wheeldon are renowned explorers of the neoclassical style inaugurated by Balanchine.

With all the new works put on by The Royal Ballet this year, we haven’t seen as much of Kenneth MacMillan’s choreography as usual. This triple bill of mid-century works is an in-your-face reminder of what an omission that is: Concerto, Las Hermanas and Requiem show MacMillan at his versatile best, and The Royal Ballet are on top form to match.

Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 invited artists from different disciplines, mainly the visual arts, dance and music, to respond to Titian's three magnifient paintings of the Diana and Actaeon myth. The results are displayed in an exhibition at the National Gallery (alongside Titian's originals), and in an triple bill of new ballets at the Royal Opera House.

The penultimate programme of The Royal Ballet’s season takes the audience on a journey, from a joyous celebration with seven imperially dressed ballerinas, to a summer dacha filled with tense emotions, and finally back in time to the ceremonial rites of a Russian peasant wedding.

The Royal Ballet's revival of The Prince of the Pagodas is an extraordinary achievement in many ways, not least because the ballet has an undistinguished history.

The works in this triple bill were all created by choreographers in their twenties and two of them are new works made for the Royal Ballet this season, making for an evening of fresh, exuberant modern ballet. The Royal Opera House had given over the entire Amphitheatre to student tickets for this performance, so there was a youthful buzz in the audience to match the youthful buzz on stage.

The Royal Ballet's 2011 reimagining of Lewis Carroll's beloved Alice stories was a glorious triumph, as proved by its immediate, slightly reworked revival for the 2012 season.

This double bill by The Royal Ballet made for a splendid mix of musical and choreographic magic – Mendelssohn and Ashton, Mahler and MacMillan.

There are triple bills ---and there are triple bills. And this one –the first of The Royal Ballet’s 2011/12 season -- is certainly a top rate one.The programme, put together by Artistic director Monica Mason in her final year at the helm, gives an historical glimpse into the foundations and creative growth of The Royal Ballet over the years.