The Australian Ballet - Two masterworks and a world premiere make for an exciting triple bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two generations of Australian ballet talent come together to present Edge of night for The Australian Ballet in 2010. In keeping with the company’s vision of caring for tradition while daring to be different, Edge of night is a triple bill where resident choreographer Stephen Baynes presents two critically acclaimed works alongside a world premiere for rising star Tim Harbour.

Adam Bull, Amber Scott & Andrew Killian in Molto Vivace

Photograph :  Jez Smith

Edge of night opens at the Sydney Opera House from 11 November.

Baynes and Harbour both trained with The Australian Ballet School, danced for many years with The Australian Ballet, and now create beautiful works for its artists to perform. For Artistic Director David McAllister, Baynes and Harbour come together in Edge of night to showcase the very best traits of Australian choreography. “It’s all about having a willingness to take risks, opting for a bold and playful approach, and ensuring there is an ongoing respect for classical ballet technique,” McAllister said.

When Baynes’ Molto Vivace premiered in 2003, Handel’s score was accompanied by the sound of dropping jaws. Boldly colourful, playful and laugh-out-loud funny, it showed the future of ballet was bright indeed.

Kirsty Martin & Robert Curran in At the edge of night

Photograph :  Jez Smith

In contrast, the achingly romantic At the edge of night shows a very different side to Baynes’ work. Set to seven preludes by Sergei Rachmaninov, the music, says Baynes “speaks of a nostalgic yearning, of idyllic dreams, of pride and passion.” And so does the ballet.

Harbour’s mainstage debut for The Australian Ballet, Halcyon, completes the bill. A dancer with The Australian Ballet for 13 years, Harbour has had a meteoric rise as a choreographer. After a succession of critically acclaimed works for the company’s Bodytorque series, and commissions for Australian companies, a chance spotting by Christopher Wheeldon saw him recruited to create a ballet for the New-York based Morphoses in late 2009.

Based on a Greek myth and set to a specially commissioned score from Gerard Brophy, Harbour’s Halcyon will be a much anticipated debut. The tradition of nurturing choreographic talent has continued under a number of Artistic Directors at The Australian Ballet. Both Baynes and Harbour are an inspiration to the next generation of Australian choreographers and prove the importance of nurturing talent to produce the major artists of tomorrow. Edge of night showcases just this.

Amber Scott in Molto Vivace

Photograph :  Jez Smith

The performances
Sydney 11 – 29 November
(19 performances)
Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House
with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Melbourne 26 August – 4 September
(11 performances)
State Theatre, the Arts Centre
with Orchestra Victoria

Bookings  or 1300 369 741

Credits
AT THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1997)
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music Sergei Rachmaninov
Set and costume design Michael Pearce
Lighting design Stephen Wickham

HALCYON (2010)
Choreography Tim Harbour
Music Gerard Brophy
Costume design Alexis George
Stage concept and lighting design Bluebottle

MOLTO VIVACE (2003)
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music George Frideric Handel
Costume design Anna French
Set design Richard Roberts

SUPPORTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET ENDOWMENT
Tim Harbour's choreography supported by The Robert Southey Fund for Australian Choreography, endowed by The Sidney Myer Fund.

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A sugar-coated treat from The Australian Ballet

Artists of The Australian Ballet in The Nutcracker

Photograph :  Jim McFarlane

The Australian Ballet presents an enchanting encore season of The Nutcracker, an unmissable opportunity to meet the charming Clara and her sugar-coated friends.

Returning after three sold-out cities in 2007, this magical production will bring festive cheer to Melbourne from 11 September at the Arts Centre and then Sydney from 3 December at the Sydney Opera House.

The world’s original toy story has captivated audiences for decades; a timeless classic of toy soldiers, talking mice and dancing snowflakes seen through the eyes of a little girl at Christmas.

Artistic Director David McAllister said demand for the production’s return was overwhelming.  “For both fans and first-timers, The Nutcracker is one of those ballets you must see at least once in your lifetime. We never need an excuse to perform it, and for those that missed out last time, here is your chance!”

Robert Curran and Lucinda Dunn in The Nutcracker

Photograph :  Jim McFarlane

Originally created for the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990, English legend Sir Peter Wright’s version is a visual treat. Featuring sumptuous sets and costumes worthy of a fairytale, The Nutcracker is perfectly complemented by Tchaikovsky’s acclaimed score, his final ballet composition.

The Nutcracker is one of the most labour intensive productions to stage in The Australian Ballet’s repertoire. The level of detail in bringing this ballet to life is extraordinary. There are over 10,000 hand-sewn beads on each Sugar Plum Fairy costume, the famed Nutcracker doll has been lovingly handcrafted, and the foliage for the five metre tall Christmas tree features no less than seven shades of green material.

Celebrated UK designer John F Macfarlane oversaw the re-creation of sets for The Australian Ballet in 2007, and his spectacular vision retains its sparkle and shine today.

The result is a breathtaking ballet that will transport even the most cynical of adults back to a childhood wonderland. Add a company of stunning dancers and the power of Tchaikovsky’s immortal score, and the grand scale of this wonderful production becomes more than evident.

Acknowledged as one of the most popular ballets of all time, The Nutcracker has a rich history. The story first appeared in 1816 in a book of short tales by German writer Ernst Theador Amadeus Hoffman under the title Nussknacker und Mauskönig (Nutcracker and the Mouse King), and it made its ballet debut in 1892 in St Petersburg, Russia.

Since then, it has been re-imagined countless times, including Graeme Murphy’s uniquely Australian take in Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, staged to great acclaim by The Australian Ballet in 2009. Two very different interpretations illustrate the artistic depth of what appears at first glance as a simple children’s tale.

Whether it’s a first or fifth time, The Nutcracker is always enchanting, engaging and elegant, and will cast its extraordinary spell over the whole family.

Credits
THE NUTCRACKER
Choreography Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon
Composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Set and costume design John F Macfarlane
Lighting design David Finn

DATES
Melbourne 11 – 25 September (15 performances)
the Arts Centre, State Theatre
with Orchestra Victoria

Sydney 3 – 22 December (22 performances)
Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House
with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra

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