Founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Frederick Ashton created more than 100 ballets over a 60 year career. Showcasing three of his shorter works, this disc reflects the breadth of his sophisticated, elegant and widely popular style. Les Patineurs evokes the Edwardian skating rink, with all its youthful charm and humour, in contrast to Scnes de Ballet where sharp geometric shapes and the music of Igor Stravinsky are combined to create perhaps Ashton's most modernist work. Divertissements, a collection of eight short dances, features some of Ashton's most lyrical choreography, including pas de deux set to Romantic masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Massenet. Works: Meyerbeer: Les Patineurs Laura Morera, Samantha Raine, Steven McRae, Sarah Lamb, Rupert Pennefather, Christina Arestis, Francesca Filpi, Ryoichi Hirano, Kenta Kura, Liam Scarlett & Andrej Uspenski Paul Murphy (conductor) Stravinsky: Scnes de ballet Miyako Yoshida, Ivan Putrov, Edward Watson & Lauren Cuthbertson Barry Wordsworth (conductor) Divertissement Tchaikovsky: Awakening Pas de deux (1968) Darcey Bussell & Jonathan Cope Massenet: Thas Pas de deux (1971) Mara Galeazzi & Thiago Soares Paganini: Devil’s Holiday Variation (1939) Viacheslav Samodurov Brahms: Five Brahms Waltzes in the manner of Isadora Duncan (1975) Tamara Rojo Strauss: Voices of Spring Pas de deux (1977) Leanne Benjamin & Carlos Acosta Tommasini after Paganini: Devil’s Holiday Pas de deux (1939) Laura Morera & Ricardo Cervera Barry Wordsworth (conductor) CastCarlos Acosta (Divertissements)Leanne Benjamin (Divertissements)Darcey Bussell (Divertissements)Thiago Soares (Divertissements)Steven McRae (Les Patineurs)Samantha Raine (Les Patineurs)Myako Yoshida (Scnes de Ballet)Ivan Putrov (Scnes de Ballet) The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Paul Murphy; Barry WordsworthTelevision Director: Ross MacGibbonChoreographer: Frederick Ashton Catalogue Number: OA1064DDate of Performance: 2009Running Time: 96 minutesSound: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTSAspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic / 4:3Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ESLabel: Opus Arte Review Royal Ballet stars embody choreographer Frederick Ashton's range: quirkest in dancer Tamaara Rojo's homage to Isodora Duncan, and most charming in Les patineurs. Performance**** Picture & Sound**** --BBC Music Magazine, Mar'12