Frederick Ashton's joyful ballet contains some of his most brilliant choreography.
Live in cinemas Tuesday 5 May 2015.
Frederick
Ashton's final full-length ballet is one of his most joyous creations,
inspired by his love for the Suffolk countryside. It is based on an 1828
French ballet and the music was adapted by John Lanchbery from
Ferdinand Hérold's original score. La Fille mal gardée was a resounding
success on its premiere in 1960 and has remained a firm favourite in The
Royal Ballet's repertory. The title translates as 'The Wayward
Daughter'.
La Fille displays some of Ashton's most virtuoso
choreography – the youthful passion of Lise and her lover, Colas, is
expressed in a series of energetic pas de deux. The ballet is laced with
good humour and a whirl of dancing chickens, grouchy guardians and a
halfwit suitor take to the stage. Ashton affectionately incorporated
elements of national folk dance into his choreography, from a Lancashire
clog dance to a maypole dance, making La Fille mal gardée (despite its
title) The Royal Ballet's most emphatically English work. Osbert
Lancaster's colourful designs reinforce the bucolic wit of the
production.
Live in cinemas Tuesday 5 May 2015.
Frederick
Ashton's final full-length ballet is one of his most joyous creations,
inspired by his love for the Suffolk countryside. It is based on an 1828
French ballet and the music was adapted by John Lanchbery from
Ferdinand Hérold's original score. La Fille mal gardée was a resounding
success on its premiere in 1960 and has remained a firm favourite in The
Royal Ballet's repertory. The title translates as 'The Wayward
Daughter'.
La Fille displays some of Ashton's most virtuoso
choreography – the youthful passion of Lise and her lover, Colas, is
expressed in a series of energetic pas de deux. The ballet is laced with
good humour and a whirl of dancing chickens, grouchy guardians and a
halfwit suitor take to the stage. Ashton affectionately incorporated
elements of national folk dance into his choreography, from a Lancashire
clog dance to a maypole dance, making La Fille mal gardée (despite its
title) The Royal Ballet's most emphatically English work. Osbert
Lancaster's colourful designs reinforce the bucolic wit of the
production.
