Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor, Dramaturg Uzma Hameed and Royal Ballet dancers Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli discuss Woolf Works with writer Bonnie Greer. Find out...

Director Katie Mitchell and designer Vicki Mortimer speak about their new Royal Opera production of Lucia di Lammermoor. Find out more at www.roh.org.uk/lucia Lucia di Lammermoor is Donizetti s...

Nell ispano suol mai l eresia dominò from Act IV of Nicholas Hytner s production of Giuseppe Verdi s Don Carlo with Ferruccio Furlanetto as King Philip and Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisito...

Royal Ballet Principal Vadim Muntagirov performs Dance of the Blessed Spirits , choreographed by Frederick Ashton to music from Christophe Willibald von Gluck s opera Orphée et Eurydice ....

Dancers Marianela Nuñez, Federico Bonelli, Ricardo Cervera, and Christopher Saunders, with stager Julie Lincoln, introduce the characters and choreography in MacMillan s Manon. Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk/manon Kenneth MacMillan began work on Manon shortly after the birth of his only daughter. His source was the 18th-century French novel by Abbé Prévost, already adapted twice for opera by Massenet and Puccini. Renowned dance musician Leighton Lucas and his assistant Hilda Gaunt provided a score made from a patchwork of works by Massenet, including his famous yearning Elégie as the theme for the lovers. The premiere was given on 7 March 1974, the lead roles of Manon and Des Grieux danced by Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell. The ballet quickly became a staple of The Royal Ballet s repertory. MacMillan found new sympathy with the capricious Manon, bringing his customary psychological insight and the memories of his own impoverished upbringing. He described his heroine as not so much afraid of being poor as ashamed of being poor . Designs by MacMillan s friend Nicholas Georgiadis reflect this, depicting a world of lavish splendour polluted by miserable poverty. MacMillan s spectacular ensemble scenes for the whole Company create vivid, complex portraits of the distinct societies of Paris and New Orleans. But it is Manon and Des Grieux s impassioned pas de deux – recalling the intensity of MacMillan s earlier work, Romeo and Juliet – that drive this tragic story, and make Manon one of MacMillan s most heartbreaking dramas.

Ashton’s seminal ballet masterpiece celebrates the pure beauty of movement. Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk/ashton Symphonic Variations was Frederick Ashton’s first work after returning from his RAF posting during World War II. It was one of the Company’s first works for the huge main stage of the Royal Opera House, and Ashton and his designer Sophie Fedorovitch agonized over ways to make sure the ballet would register to the back of the enormous auditorium. The result, first performed on 24 April 1946, became a cornerstone of The Royal Ballet’s repertory and is acclaimed as one of Ashton’s very finest works. The ballet is for just six dancers, who never leave the stage. In perfect response to César Franck’s brooding Variations symphoniques for piano and orchestra, the dancers coalesce in a series of quartets, duets, sextets and solos. The flow of dancing quickens and slows but retains throughout a sense of serenity and spaciousness – a hint at the mysticism and spirituality Ashton had studied during World War II, and which had a clear impact on his choreography. Frederick Ashton created more than one hundred works during his lifetime (1904–88). For further information, please visit www.frederickashton.org.uk.

Catch live and free outdoor relays around the UK this summer from the Royal Opera House. Find out more at www.roh.org.uk/bpbigscreens This year for the BP Big Screens we are bringing you the...

What happens when The Nutcracker s Drosselmeyer has some time to kill before a show? Magic, of course! Performing the role of the toymaker Drosselmeyer here is Principal Character Artist of...

Gounod s most popular opera returns in David McVicar s stunning Parisian production. Revival director Bruno Ravella, cast Michael Fabiano, Erwin Schrott, Irina Lungu, and conductor Dan Ettinger describe their experience of rehearsing and performing in this spectacular production of decadence and elegance in 1870s Paris. Find out more https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/faust-by-david-mcvicar Gounod s Faust (1859) was one of the world s most popular operas from the 1860s to World War II, and remains a core repertory work. The story, adapted by Gounod s librettists Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré s play Faust et Marguerite, is based on Part I of Goethe s epic poem Faust, which was a major inspiration for many composers during the 19th century and beyond. Gounod added a ballet to Act V when Faust received its first Paris Opéra staging in 1869. David McVicar s wonderfully theatrical production draws insightful parallels between Faust and Gounod, a composer torn between piety and worldly and romantic success. Sets and costumes by Charles Edwards and Brigitte Reiffenstuel pay tribute to the art and architecture of 1870s Paris, and include a colourful Cabaret d Enfer, a run-down tenement block and re-creations of a box from the Paris Opéra and the organ loft of Notre-Dame. The variety of settings mirrors the variety in Gounod s score, highlights of which include Méphistophélès s demonic aria Le veau d or , Marguerite s dazzling coloratura Jewel Song, the Act IV Soldiers Chorus and Act V s impassioned trio as Marguerite struggles to achieve salvation.

Principal dancer Marianela Nuñez performs the Myrtha Queen of the Willis Variation in The Royal Ballet s atmospheric production of Giselle. Watch Giselle on demand here: https://stream.roh.org.uk/packages/giselle/videos/giselle Giselle is the classic ballet of the Romantic era – and, for the dancer performing the title role, one of the greatest challenges in the repertory. Peter Wright’s production, a classic itself, perfectly achieves the dual aspects of the ballet, moving from the naivety of young love between Giselle and Albrecht in the village setting of Act I to the ethereal Wilis in Act II’s eerie moonlit forest. Rich in vivid character detail and poignant depth of feeling, Giselle is a reminder of ballet’s power to move and thrill. Enjoy this video? Subscribe to our channel to receive notifications about new ballet and opera clips.

The Act II final scene from The Royal Ballet s Mayerling with Natalia Osipova and Ryoichi Hirano. Catch Kenneth MacMillan s ballet on the Main Stage until 30 November. Grab your tickets: https://ww...

Torn between her desire of a life of splendour and riches and her devotion to her true love Des Grieux, the feckless and capricious Manon pays the ultimate price. The Royal Ballet s Manon comes...

Take a more detailed look into the themes and inspirations behind this brand new multimedia opera adaptation of Egyptian writer Naawal El Saadawi s seminal novel. Woman at Point Zero opens in the Linbury Theatre on 28 June. Book your tickets here: https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/woman-at-point-zero-by-laila-soliman-details Generously supported by Rolex. #royaloperahouse Enjoy this video? Subscribe to our channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/RoyalOperaHouse For more: Royal Opera House Stream sign up now: https://bit.ly/3V0JMaO Tickets: https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royaloperahouse/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royaloperahouse TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@royaloperahouse Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoyalOperaHouse

Kaija Saariaho s shattering new opera makes its long-awaited UK debut, directed by Simon Stone. #RoyalOperaHouse Enjoy this video? Subscribe to our channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/Royal...

Puccini’s music and Richard Jones’s production capture the joy and heartache of young love in Paris. Michael Fabiano, performing the role of Rodolfo, sings the Che gelida manina aria...

As part of the #OurHouseToYourHouse series, join The Royal Opera for Massenet s exquisite fairytale opera. Joyce DiDonato sings the title role in this YouTube premiere stream of Laurent Pelly s funny and touching staging with spectacular, storybook designs. Massenet’s Cendrillon is a touching, romantic interpretation of the much-loved story of Cinderella. The opera is full of wonderful music, from the impassioned love duet for Cendrillon and her Prince, to the coloratura effervescence of the Fairy Godmother and the brilliantly-scored ‘March of the Princesses’. Director Laurent Pelly pays tribute to the opera’s fairytale origins, setting his production literally within a storybook. When Cendrillon was staged by The Royal Opera in July 2011 it was the first time the opera had been performed at Covent Garden. It was released to cinemas six months later in January 2012. In this recording Bertrand de Billy conducts Massenet’s sparkling score with a wonderfully light touch. The superb cast includes Royal Opera favourite Joyce DiDonato as Cendrillon, Alice Coote as her ardent Prince Charming, Ewa Podlés in gloriously comic form as Cendrillon’s snobbish Stepmother Madame de la Haltière and Eglise Gutierrez as a sassy Fairy Godmother (La Fée). Don t forget to subscribe to our channel for notifications about future Premieres! 🙏 This crisis is impacting theatres and arts venues across the globe. If you are able, please consider making a donation to help sustain our Royal Opera House community: http://www.roh.org.uk/donate-now In this uncertain time, and as productions and events are postponed at the Royal Opera House and around the world, we re offering a schedule of free broadcasts and live content that audiences can access for free anywhere, anytime across the globe, bringing both ballet and opera to every home and every device. We also invite our audiences to sign up for a free 30-day trial on Marquee TV, the international multi-genre performing arts streaming service. In collaboration with the Royal Opera House, Marquee TV will bring you the very best of world-class performances on demand. Head to their website to find out more.

Natalia Osipova, Steven McRae and Philip Mosley perform the lead roles in Frederick Ashton’s most joyful and colourful ballet, The Wayward Daughter. Stream until 28 February https://stream.roh.org.uk/packages/la-fille-mal-gardee-2015/videos/la-fille-mal-gardee Frederick Ashton s La Fille mal gardée (The Wayward Daughter) is one of the choreographer s most joyous and colourful creations. Inspired by his love for the Suffolk countryside, the ballet is set on a farm and tells a story of love between Lise, the daughter of Widow Simone, and Colas, a young farmer. It contains some of Ashton s most stunning choreography, most strikingly in the series of energetic pas de deux that express the youthful passion of the young lovers, performed here by Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae. The ballet is laced with exuberant good humour, and elements of national folk dance, from dancing chickens and a maypole dance to a Lancashire clog dance for Widow Simone, performed by Philip Mosley. Osbert Lancaster’s colourful designs heighten the production’s delightful pastoral wit. La Fille mal gardée is based on a 1789 French ballet originally created by Jean Dauberval; John Lanchbery created the music for Ashton’s ballet from Ferdinand Hérold’s 1828 score. The ballet s premiere in 1960 was a resounding success and it remains a firm favourite of The Royal Ballet’s repertory. Enjoy this video? Subscribe to our channel to receive notifications about new ballet and opera clips.

Christopher Wheeldon’s new full-length ballet brings the magic realism of this famous modern Mexican novel to The Royal Ballet. #RoyalOperaHouse Enjoy this video? Subscribe to our channel...

Explore Verdi s Macbeth with The Royal Opera, including insights from conductor Antonio Pappano and cast members Željko Lučić (Macbeth), Ildebrando D Arcangelo (Banquo). Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk/macbeth Verdi’s life-long love affair with Shakespeare’s works began with Macbeth, a play he considered to be ‘one of the greatest creations of man’. With his librettist Francesco Maria Piave Verdi set out to create ‘something out of the ordinary’. Their success is borne out in every bar of a score that sees Verdi at his most theatrical: it bristles with demonic energy. Phyllida Lloyd’s 2002 production for The Royal Opera is richly hued, shot through with black, red and gold. The witches – imagined by designer Anthony Ward as strange, scarlet-turbaned creatures – are ever-present agents of fate. Lloyd depicts the Macbeths’ childlessness as the dark sadness lurking behind their terrible deeds. The Royal Opera’s production uses Verdi’s 1865 Paris revision of the opera, which includes Lady Macbeth’s riveting aria ‘La luce langue’.

Join The Royal Opera for a Friday Premiere stream of Massenet s Cendrillon (Cinderella) from 7pm GMT on 22 January 2021. Buy your ticket now at http://stream.roh.org.uk Massenet’s Cendrillon is a touching, romantic interpretation of the much-loved story of Cinderella. The opera is full of wonderful music, from the impassioned love duet for Cendrillon and her Prince, to the coloratura effervescence of the Fairy Godmother and the brilliantly-scored ‘March of the Princesses’. Director Laurent Pelly pays tribute to the opera’s fairytale origins, setting his production literally within a storybook. When Cendrillon was staged by The Royal Opera in July 2011 it was the first time the opera had been performed at Covent Garden. It was released to cinemas six months later in January 2012. In this recording Bertrand de Billy conducts Massenet’s sparkling score with a wonderfully light touch. The superb cast includes Royal Opera favourite Joyce DiDonato as Cendrillon, Alice Coote as her ardent Prince Charming, Ewa Podlés in gloriously comic form as Cendrillon’s snobbish Stepmother Madame de la Haltière and Eglise Gutierrez as a sassy Fairy Godmother (La Fée).