DVD + Blu-Ray:
Frederick Ashton Triple Bill

Scènes de ballet, A Month in the Country & Rhapsody performed by The Royal Ballet (2022).

This collection celebrates the masterful artistry of The Royal Ballet’s Founder Choreographer, Frederick Ashton, with three defining works. A pioneer of 20th-century dance, Ashton brought elegance, innovation and emotional depth to the stage, shaping the identity of British ballet for generations.

Scènes de ballet distils classical technique into a striking study of form and symmetry. Ashton gracefully reimagines Turgenev’s play A Month in the Country as a one-act ballet where all the drama unfolds in the family’s living room upon the arrival of a dashing young tutor. Rhapsody, created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier, blends virtuosic movement with lyrical beauty, set to Rachmaninoff’s sweeping score. Together, these works offer a vivid portrait of Ashton’s genius.

"An outstanding Ashton triple bill ... The Royal Ballet prove their mastery of his technical and dramatic complexity." (The Guardian ★★★★★)

Genre Ballet
Choreography by Frederick Ashton
Dance Company The Royal Ballet
Composer Stravinsky; Rachmaninoff; Chopin (arr. Lanchbery)
Recording location The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Orchestra / Band Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor Emmanuel Plasson
Soloists Sarah Lamb, Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Nuñez, Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward, Marcelino Sambé