Concerto

Concerto was created during a fresh beginning in Kenneth MacMillan’s career. He had left The Royal Ballet and just started a new job as the director of Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin. This ballet was one of his first creations. It is full of tightly-choreographed ensemble moments – evocative of the almost military-like precision of Shostakovich’s score – but is most well-known for its languid central pas de deux which is found in the second movement. This duet was created on and inspired by Royal Ballet dancer Lynn Seymour (who followed MacMillan to Berlin). MacMillan had watched Seymour warming up at the barre, and the sensuality of her dancing is echoed in the duet: the male lead becomes the barre, extending a steady hand out to his female partner who performs movements of focussed simplicity, curving and stretching. Concerto was an immediate success: Jürgen Rose’s glowing set and costume designs laid bare MacMillan’s mastery over movement and music.