The Two Pigeons by Frederick Ashton, music by Rachmaninov and Messager

Rhapsody premiered in 1980—10 years after Ashton’s official retirement—on the 80th birthday of the Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Louis Mérante's 1886 ballet The Two Pigeons draws its inspiration from La Fontaine’s eponymous fable. In his own 1961 version of the ballet, premiered on Valentine’s Day of that year, Ashton reset the plot in a bohemian Parisian atmosphere. The performance seen here constituted The Two Pigeons’ return to the stage of the Royal Opera House after 30 years of absence.

The 2015 Royal Ballet performance was adored by critics and audiences alike: We see yet again how varied, how beguiling are Ashton's dance ideas, how elegantly they wear their music, and how flattering they are to their interpreters ... Our favorite Russian ballerina [Natalia Osipova] is nothing if not electrifying, and so she proves here making her debut in Ashton's hymn to the glory of pure dance. (The Financial Times). At the dancers' sides were conductor Barry Wordsworth leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in rapturous interpretations of the Rachmaninoff and Messager scores. A beautiful presentation of ballet at its best in a truly delightful and heart-warming performance!

Photo: © Bill Cooper, ROH 2016