Ashton: Rhapsody / The Two Pigeons: The Royal Ballet (Barry Wordsworth) (2016)

Double bill of ballets celebrating choreographer Frederick Ashton. In 'The Two Pigeons', conducted by Barry Wordsworth, a young man played by Vadim Muntagirov is unsuccessfully attempting to paint his love (Lauren Cuthbertson). He finds himself suddenly entranced by a gypsy girl (Laura Morera) however, and begins to follow her. 'Rhapsody' is set to Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini', also conducted by Wordsworth. Steven McRae performs as the male virtuoso in this performance, alongside Natalia Osipova, in a work which mirrors the complex nature of the Rachmaninov piece.