Streamed live from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Royal Ballet presents a new production of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent classical ballet, Swan Lake, on Tuesday 12th June at 7.15pm, with additional choreography by Liam Scarlett and designs by John Macfarlane.
Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured. But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night.
On Wednesday 27th June at 6.30pm Glyndebourne Opera House presents Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a performance recorded live on 21st June. Madama Butterfly is a classic love story that never fails to move, a tragic romance that sweeps you along in the intensity of its action. When an innocent young Geisha meets an American naval officer she falls instantly and deeply in love. Giving up her family and her faith, she risks all in marriage to the dashing Lieutenant Pinkerton. But her fragile happiness cannot last. Soon love turns to abandonment and betrayal, and Butterfly is forced to make one final, agonising sacrifice.
Praised by critics as a ‘thoughtful, provocative staging’ and a ‘scathing study of exploitation’, Annilese Miskimmon’s production updates the action to the 1950s. This post-war setting brings to the fore the darker elements of Puccini’s story. Little wonder that this opera has inspired numerous contemporary adaptations and re-imaginings, including the hit musical Miss Saigon.
Further details and tickets from www.merlintheatre .co.uk / 01373 465949
