A Tempting Trio of Modern Dance

In front of a warm, receptive crowd, last Friday saw the opening of an exciting programme at the Royal Opera House, including a new ballet by Liam Scarlett, choreographed to Bernstein’s Symphony no. 2, The Age of Anxiety.

This beautiful adaptation is based on the synonymous poem by W.H. Auden, awarded a Pulitzer for the tale in 1948. The nuances and complexities of the poem boil down to a simple story set in New York: four lonely strangers during the tumultuous times of World War II who strike up a friendship in a bar, developing into intimacy as the night wears on.

The stage design was artistically arranged with a neon lit bar and American-style drinking booths. The four were alone in their thoughts, but a collective conscience resonated in each of them, of under-achievement, of helplessness and confusion as the radio broadcasts reports of the war far away. They soon become acquainted, with the characters deep in conversation discussing the anxiety of man and the human condition. Rosetta, the only woman in the group, invites the other three to continue the jollity back in her apartment, which forms the second scene of the ballet. The characters dance and pirouette their way skilfully around the stage, at times in frenzy and others in quiet contemplation. This ballet was undoubtedly the highlight of the night, with a few pleasant surprises along the way!

Another eminent and celebrated contemporary of Auden’s was composer Benjamin Britten, whose works form the music for Ceremony of Innocence and Aeternum. The former is an early Britten work, when he was undergoing some major events in his life: slowly maturing into an artist, creativity stalling, having just lost his mother in the same year. He was losing his childhood innocence; for one is always a child in our mother’s eyes, but she was now gone and he was struggling, innocence having played a great role in shaping his present life. The music grapples with this profound sense of a loss of innocence. Choreographer Kim Brandstrup resolves the problem in this nouveau coming-of-age story, saying that we must accept that we “are going to disappear, accepting the disappearance and the gaps as you go on”. Aside from all this seriousness, there were some very creative use of shadows and a beautiful backdrop that changed dynamically, enthralling the audience with a images of the sea, a key theme in this ballet.

If you prefer the more ethereal (and without giving too much away), the final performance to the Sinfonia da Requiem ticks the box in every category: technicality, imagination and atmosphere. It is not surprising that it was awarded an Olivier for Best New Dance Production last year.

Whether you are an experienced opera-goer or a complete beginner to ballet, there is something on offer for you at this spectacular trio.

_Ceremony of Innocence/The Age of Anxiety/Aeternum is on at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, until the 17th November. _

Tickets are priced from £4-65, and can be purchased online from www.roh.org.uk