DVD + Blu-Ray:
MacMillan Celebrated - The Royal Ballet

From a kaleidoscopic abstract ballet to a poignant elegy, celebrate Kenneth MacMillan’s endless invention in three works.

Kenneth MacMillan (1929–92) was the leading choreographer of his generation. Renowned for his full-length dramatic works which dug deep into the human psyche, MacMillan’s creativity knew no bounds. His one-act works also reshaped the collective identity of The Royal Ballet, challenging the art form to reflect real-life emotions, passions and human frailty. In three varied works, this mixed programme offers a taster of MacMillan’s exceptional craft.

Danses concertantes, commissioned by Ninette de Valois in 1955, was MacMillan’s first major work. An early sign of the incredible artistic output that would follow, the work’s critical success spurred MacMillan to abandon performing in favour of choreography. It is followed by Different Drummer, MacMillan’s complex and haunting balletic interpretation of Woyzeck, Georg Büchner's play about a soldier’s descent into madness. The mixed programme concludes with Requiem, his 1976 work for Stuttgart Ballet, created in memory of its late artistic director, MacMillan’s friend and former Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer John Cranko.

"This trio of works by one of ballet’s all-time greats shows off both him, and the company for which they were made, to marvellous effect. ... Francesca Hayward acts the hell out of Woyzeck." (The Telegraph ★★★★)

Genre Ballet
Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan
Original title Danses Concertantes
Composer Igor Stravinsky
Original title Different Drummer
Composer Anton Webern/ Arnold Schoenberg
Original title Requiem
Composer Gabriel Fauré
Dance Company The Royal Ballet
Orchestra / Band Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor Koen Kessels
TV Director Ross MacGibbon
Soloista Francesca Hayward, Marcelino Sambé, Sarah Lamb, William Bracewell, Isabella Gasparini, Giacomo Rovero