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Mayerling

The Royal Ballet | 30 May - 15 June 2013 | Main Stage

Adult drama meets sublime choreography in Kenneth MacMillan’s masterpiece. A story of passion and madness based on historical fact.

Photos

  • Rupert Pennefather as Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling  ©  Bill Cooper/ROH 2009
  • Rupert Pennefather as Crown Prince Rudolf and Helen Crawford as Mitzi Caspar in Mayerling ©  Bill Cooper/ROH 2009
  • Rupert Pennefather as Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling  ©  Bill Cooper/ROH 2009
  • Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Iohna Loots as Princess Stephanie in Mayerling © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera and Rupert Pennefather as Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009
  • Melissa Hamilton as Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. © ROH / Bill Cooper 2009

When to see it

Booking for 30 May 2013 - 15 June 2013 opens

Thursday 30 May 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Acosta
  • Benjamin
  • Morera
  • Hinkis
  • Yanowsky
Last few tickets
Saturday 1 June 2013, 1.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Soares
  • Hamilton
  • Nuñez
  • Choe
  • Chapman
12 Tickets
Saturday 1 June 2013, 7.00pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Watson
  • Galeazzi
  • Lamb
  • Hayward
  • Arestis
Last few tickets
Wednesday 5 June 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Kobborg
  • Cojocaru
  • Kobayashi
  • Maguire
  • McNally
27 Tickets
Thursday 6 June 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Acosta
  • Benjamin
  • Morera
  • Hinkis
  • Yanowsky
SOLD OUT
Monday 10 June 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Pennefather
  • Hamilton
  • Mendizabal
  • Harrod
  • Bhavnani
100+ Tickets
Wednesday 12 June 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Soares
  • Hamilton
  • Nuñez
  • Choe
  • Chapman
100+ Tickets
Thursday 13 June 2013, 7.30pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Watson
  • Galeazzi
  • Lamb
  • Hayward
  • Arestis
SOLD OUT
Saturday 15 June 2013, 7.00pm | Main Stage
  • Yates
  • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
  • Acosta
  • Benjamin
  • Morera
  • Hinkis
  • Yanowsky
SOLD OUT

Introduction

Rudolf, the emotionally unstable Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, is forced to marry Princess Stephanie of Belgium against his will. He is drawn into a downward spiral of political intrigue, violence and, ultimately, suicide.

News and features

Background

Kenneth MacMillan turned to the double suicide of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his teenage mistress for this 1978 work. The music of Franz Liszt, arranged by John Lanchbery, provides a sweeping soundscape to match the high emotion of the drama, while the designs of Nicholas Georgiadis bring to life the privileged and oppressive society of the Austro-Hungarian court.

MacMillan’s choreography balances the large-scale – the pomp of a royal wedding and the splendour of a ballroom – with intimate scenes and a willingness to push the boundaries of classical ballet. The role of Rudolf, the violent and troubled Crown Prince of Vienna, is one of the most demanding ever created for a male dancer. His psychological and emotional decline is charted in a series of shockingly charged pas de deux with the women in his life: his mother, his unhappy bride and his young mistress, the neurotic Mary Vetsera.

BP Big Screens 2013

See Mayerling - Thursday 13 June, 7.30pm

Thanks to

Generous philanthropic support from

Celia Blakey, Lady Ashcroft, John and Susan Burns and Gail and Gerald Ronson through the Gerald Ronson Foundation

How to support the Royal Opera House

Running time

About 3 hours | Including two intervals. Act One will last for about 41 minutes followed by a 20 minute interval. Act Two will last for about 52 minutes followed by a 20 minute interval. Act Three will last for about 38 minutes.

Credits

ChoreographyKenneth MacMillan
MusicFranz Liszt
arranged and orchestrated byJohn Lanchbery
DesignsNicholas Georgiadis
ScenarioGillian Freeman
Lighting designJohn B Read
StagingGrant Coyle
StagingMonica Mason

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