Rhapsody (Ashton)

Rhapsody is a one act ballet by Sir Frederick Ashton, based on Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.[1] The ballet premiered on 4 August 1980 at The Royal Ballet, and was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It has been revived three times since its 1980 premiere, in 1995, 2011, and most recently, 2016.[2]

Rhapsody was created ten years after Ashton's official retirement, and has been described as a pièce d'occasion for the 80th birthday of the Queen Mother.[3] The Queen Mother was a friend of Ashton's.

The 1980 premiere was the last of Mikhail Baryshnikov's guest appearances with the Royal Ballet, and was the only role created for him at his time there.[4] Rachmaninoff wrote no music specifically for ballet, but many of his scores have been used by choreographers, including Walter Gore, Ben Stevenson and Mats Ek.[5] Rhapsody was choreographed with a small cast by Ashton, with six men and six women alongside the two principals.[6]