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    At the Royal Ballet, Taking the Measure of Ashton’s Genius

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    Many remarkable performances fueled the Royal’s mini-festival of ballets by Frederick Ashton, the company’s founding choreographer.Dance, people like to say, is a universal language. But ballet isn’t. Rather, it’s a language with many sharply contrasting dialects. Tradition, training and temperament all shape distinctive styles, and the English style of classical dance, embodied by the Royal Ballet, was largely shaped by Frederick Ashton (1904-1988), the company’s founding choreographer.Ashton’s work is still regularly performed at the Royal Ballet and vital to its identity. British critics may grumble both about which ballets are performed and about a loss of nuance in their execution. But it would be hard to grouse much during the past two weeks of Ashton Celebrated, a mini-festival of work, running through Saturday at the Royal Opera House, which put the choreographer’s genius — and the English classical dance style — on abundant display in often remarkable performances. (Ashton Celebrated also included performances by the Sarasota Ballet of small-scale Ashton rarities at the smaller Linbury Theater.)Like his contemporary George Balanchine, who shaped a very different aesthetic at New York City Ballet, Ashton developed his Neo-Classicism from the 19th-century heritage of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, the choreographers of “Swan Lake,” among other things. But unlike Balanchine’s pared-back, direct physicality, Ashton cultivated a pliant lyricism paired with intricate footwork and a complex use of épaulement — the contrasting angles of the head, shoulders and hips. Well-mannered and witty, the best of his ballets are also full of emotional subtlety and vitality.Monica Mason, a former director of the Royal Ballet, said one of the principal challenges of performing Ashton now is capturing the flavor of the work. “Fred wanted expression through your whole movement, how you offer your hand, how he puts his arm around your waist,” she said. “The tiny, subtle things are the challenge.”Those nuances were wonderfully evident in “Les Rendezvous,” Ashton’s first substantial classical piece, created in 1933 and back after a 19-year absence from the Royal’s repertory.Set to irresistibly melodic music from Auber’s opera “L’Enfant Prodigue,” the ballet, which opened the first program, evokes a bygone world of long-elbowed gloves, cream teas and chivalrous escorts. It’s a rush of heady delight, full of unobtrusive virtuosity and filigree nuance.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Royal Opera House’s Music Director Leaves His Mark

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      Antonio Pappano says the London house, where he is wrapping up 22 years as music director, “will always be my home.”After 22 years as the music director at the Royal Opera House in London, Antonio Pappano has a tried-and-true recipe for creating traction around the art form.“The choices you make and the energy which you share with audiences will keep them coming,” he said.The British-born conductor, 64, has left his mark on the house through a strong work ethic and an in-depth understanding of the voice. His final production is a David McVicar staging of Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier,” starring Jonas Kaufmann, that is onstage through Tuesday. He then leads the company on tour to Japan, from June 22 to July 2, with productions of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and Puccini’s “Turandot.”Pappano, whose parents were Italian immigrants, gravitates naturally toward the works of that tradition. But he has also championed everyone including contemporary British composers, Russian repertoire and Wagner. Through 2027, he will return at intervals to the Royal Opera to conduct all four installments of a “Ring” cycle staged by Barrie Kosky.Parallel to the Royal Opera, Pappano served as the music director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, a position that he relinquished last year. The next phase of his career will be dedicated to the London Symphony Orchestra, where he will officially take over as the chief conductor in the 2024-25 season.Pappano’s final production is a David McVicar staging of Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier,” starring Jonas Kaufmann, that is onstage through Tuesday. Isabel Infantes/ReutersWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More