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Birmingham Royal Ballet's "The Tempest" - New Score by Sally Beamish
This autumn Birmingham Royal Ballet will present a captivating brand new full-length production of The Tempest, with a fresh new score by world-renowned British composer Sally Beamish. Birmingham Royal Ballet is marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with Dancing Shakespeare, a year of ballets inspired by the country’s most famous writer. This exciting new ballet is the highlight of our Shakespeare festival and transforms one of Shakespeare’s most magical works into a ballet spectacle that promises to be the dance event of 2016 – an unforgettable experience.
Initially a viola player, Sally Beamish moved from London to Scotland in 1990 to develop her career as a composer. Her music embraces many influences, particularly jazz and Scottish traditional music, and is commissioned, performed and broadcast all over the world. The Tempest will be Sally‘s first ever venture into the unique world of composing for ballet. Birmingham Royal Ballet Artistic Director David Bintley’s new ballet conjures Prospero’s magical isle from Shakespeare’s late masterpiece into a spellbinding new work of ballet theatre. At once enchanting and elemental The Tempest is a powerful story of a man determined to right past wrongs by all means in his power. This creative collaboration with Sally Beamish and designer Rae
Smith (The Prince of the Pagodas, War Horse) intertwines themes of love, loyalty and loss, punctuated by a comic duo, more than one dastardly conspiracy and a spectacular danced masque featuring gods and spirits.