Birmingham Royal Ballet’s current short season, Darkness and Light, at the Hippodrome is a tribute to Frederick Ashton comprising, as it does, three of his short pieces. These are modern ballet as opposed to contemporary ballet and nicely form a bridge between that and the classical form. The evening itself was one of contrasts, veering from whimsy to drama to comedy.
The performance opened with Les Rendezvous with music by Daniel Auber. It is set in a park, a French one I’m sure, with bright young things out for their sunny constitutionals and couples meeting for a bit of billing and cooing. First performed in 1933 it had a great deal of Seurat about it from the formal gardens on the backcloth to the spotty dresses worn by the girls. It was as though the action was taking place just off-camera in the painting La Grande Jatte. I don’t like the word ‘charming’ but that’s what Les Rendezvous was, and witty and spectacular as well.
The second piece, Darkness and Light itself, was a real eye-opener. I was neither familiar with the music nor the ballet, so it came as a bit of a shock. From the thundering opening bassy bars forcefully delivered on a grand piano and the other lower range instruments of the orchestra, you would never have guessed you were hearing Franz Liszt. The high drama of the music (which would have sounded great on a large church organ) was matched by the drama of the dance. The fight between darkness and light, good and evil, was depicted by dancers in either black or white (clever eh?) on a stark set with swirling smoke and beautiful lighting. It was good to see Iain Mackay back after a nasty injury and, as befitted his return, he finally triumphed over evil – or is that giving the ending away?
The first two pieces were fantastic but what I had really come to see was Façade. I have known this William Walton piece since I was sixteen when I worked as a stage-hand for the Ballet Rambert. It has lost none of its charm. I regularly play the CDs – both the original spoken version and the suite, so it was nice to see the ballet again. It was so good I don’t know what to say. After the first little cameo, Scottish Rhapsody, I said to myself, “Yeh, that’s my favourite.” Then the Tyrolean milking piece, Yodelling, and I said, “No, that’s my favourite.” And so it went on. Each little three or four minute cameo was better than the one before, played on a beautifully evocative and witty set with long-johns dancing on a washing line. If I was really pushed I think I would have to say I liked Foxtrot best. Or maybe Tango Pasodoble, or maybe …. The fact is, I loved every moment of Façade – my only criticism being that it was far too short. ★★★★★ Michael Hasted
