Filtering by: Orchestra
Romeo and Juliet
Jun
6
to Jun 16
Ballet, Orchestra

Romeo and Juliet

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

With its compelling storytelling that always hits the heart, Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet is a majestic vision of Shakespeare’s play. Capturing the fierce clashes of rival families against the luminous flare of young love, the choreography is driven by Sergei Prokofiev’s dramatic score. Jürgen Rose’s opulent design flaunts the pageantry of medieval Verona, contrasting the heavy splendour of the aristocratic elder generation with the billowing fabrics of the teenage lovers' carefree romance. 

Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet binds artists and audiences in a profound emotional experience. From the first flush of romance to its final heartbreaking finale, you’ll be captivated by the eternal symbol of love at its most pure, rare and precious that is Romeo and his Juliet.

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From Common Ground
Mar
14
7:30 PM19:30
Classical, Orchestra

From Common Ground

PRESENTED BY DARWIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

DSO invites you to an evening of deep listening and dazzling imagination, where music grows from a simple idea into something far greater. The season opens with the world premiere of Ground by Netanela Mizrahi, celebrating her third year as our Composer in Residence.

Experience the transformative power of imagination as Shostakovich, Franck, Rachmaninov, and Hindemith reveal how simple themes can blossom into works of lasting vitality. Each piece showcases the composers’ extraordinary creativity and the expressive possibilities of the orchestra.

Audiences will be swept away by pianist Stefan Cassomenos in Rachmaninov’s beloved Paganini Variations and Franck’s Symphonic Variations. Alongside the tension, wit, and colour of Shostakovich and Hindemith, the program showcases every section of the orchestra, culminating in music that is joyful, powerful, and life-affirming.

This is a concert about connections: to ideas, to each other, and to the shared ground where imagination takes flight.

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Romeo and Juliet
Oct
7
to Oct 18
Ballet, Classical, Orchestra

Romeo and Juliet

  • Arts Centre Melbourne (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

In the history of dance, there are only a handful of productions that translate Shakespeare’s story of tragic love into compelling ballet form. John Cranko’s majestic version is one of them. His Romeo and Juliet premiered in 1962, the year The Australian Ballet was founded, and generations of our dancers have grown up with the production and gone on to shine in its many dream roles.

An artist who effortlessly fused dance and drama, Cranko richly evokes the grandeur of the Capulets’ ball, the fierce clashes of the rival families and the brief, luminous flare of young love. His choreography seems to flow spontaneously out of Sergei Prokofiev’s score, which has proven itself as immortal as Shakespeare’s play. As clearly as words could, the music lays out the progress of the story, evoking swordplay, ecstasy, murder and the looming approach of the lovers’ fate.

Jürgen Rose’s dramatically resonant design captures the pageantry of medieval Verona, contrasting the heavy splendour of the aristocratic elder generation with the billowing fabrics of the young lovers’ carefree abandon.

Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet binds artists and audiences in a profound emotional experience that will linger long after the curtain falls.

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Anna Karenina
Feb
25
to Mar 9
Ballet, Contemporary, Orchestra

Anna Karenina

  • Arts Centre Melbourne (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

Cinematic staging, elegant costumes and Yuri Possokhov’s sensual choreography illuminate the tragedy of Anna Karenina, whose desire brings about her ruin. When Anna meets Vronsky, a handsome young officer, the instant connection between them flames into an affair – with disastrous consequences. Anna leaves her conservative husband and relinquishes her son to be with her lover, but her bliss is fleeting, and when Vronsky’s passion cools she takes desperate action.

Possokhov, formerly a principal dancer with Bolshoi Ballet and San Francisco Ballet and now a major international choreographer, does full justice to Tolstoy’s novel, distilling its central romances and conflicts into a fast-moving, immersive narrative. The celebrated theatre designer Tom Pye captures the opulence of Anna’s world with a modern twist, through vividly coloured costumes and a sparse, contemporary set that conjures ballrooms, boudoirs and the fateful railway station. Finn Ross’ projections (including real-time footage of the dancers) add substance and atmosphere.

A specially commissioned orchestral score by award-winning composer Ilya Demutsky, who has worked with Possokhov on five previous occasions, captures the torment and raptures of its characters and includes a mezzo-soprano singing live on stage.

After standing ovations and critical acclaim in its debut season, Anna Karenina is set to sweep you away.

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Mozart by Moonlight
Feb
20
6:00 PM18:00
Opera, Orchestra, Classical

Mozart by Moonlight

  • Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AND MELBOURNE OPERA

Experience a very special concert under the stars in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, as Shakespeare Australia partners with the Melbourne Opera to bring you a magnificent evening of arias and duets from Mozart's best-known works.

Enjoy the sumptuous voices of Melbourne's most accomplished artists together with up and coming singers supported by the beautiful accompaniment of the Melbourne Opera orchestra.

Pack a picnic, or order on-line with us to have dinner delivered, then sit back and enjoy being serenaded. This is a glorious evening by moonlight - simply not to be missed!

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