Mats Ek’s Sleeping Beauty

Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet score meets Swedish dance royalty in Mats Ek’s staging of The Sleeping Beauty – performed here in 1999 by Cullberg Ballet, the company (founded by Ek’s mother) for which this production was created. The tradition that Ek inherited was one of innovation, and his Sleeping Beauty – updated, pared back and stripped of its traditional Romantic opulence – caused controversy when it was first seen in 1996. Today, it’s regarded as a classic, driving straight to the poetic, sometimes troubled heart of the original fairy tale: a near-perfect modern visualisation of Tchaikovsky’s impassioned music.

Ensembles: 

National Philharmonic Orchestra, Cullberg Ballet

Conductor: 

Richard Bonynge