9 December 2015 at 4.00pm | 8 Comments
Details of Royal Opera and Royal Ballet performances and documentaries to be broadcast on TV and radio over Christmas 2015 have now been announced.
David McVicar's Royal Opera production of Andrea Chénier will be broadcast on BBC Four on 18 December at 7.30pm. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek star in this opulent and passionate production.
Carlos Acosta's recent Royal Ballet production of Carmen will be shown on Christmas Day on BBC Four at 7.30pm. Acosta dances the role of Don José alongside Marianela Nuñez as Carmen, and Federico Bonelli as the dashing toreador Escamillo. Darcey Bussell presents what was Acosta's final performance on the Royal Opera House main stage.
Rudolf Nureyev is the subject of Dance to Freedom, a dramatized documentary telling the story of the iconic dancer's defection to the West during the height of the Cold War. The film will be broadcast on 19 December at 8.50pm on BBC Two.
Former Royal Ballet Principal Darcey Bussell presents Darcey's Ballet Heroes on BBC Two on Christmas Day at 8.50pm. The 60-minute documentary sees the 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge explore the history of male dancers in ballet and features Carlos Acosta and former director of The Royal Ballet, Anthony Dowell.
BBC Radio 3 will broadcast Tchaikovsky's rarely-performed comic opera The Tsarina's Slippers at 2pm on 24 December.
Please note broadcast schedules are subject to change. Find out more about the BBC's Christmas 2015 programming.
9 December 2015 at 4.00pm
This article has been categorised Off stage and tagged Andrea Chénier, Anthony Dowell, BBC, BBC Four, BBC Radio 3, BBC Two, broadcast, broadcasts, Carlos Acosta, Carmen, Christmas, Darcey Bussell, Darcey's Ballet Heroes, David Mcvicar, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Federico Bonelli, Jonas Kaufmann, Marianela Nuñez, Rudolf Nureyev, TV
This article has 8 comments
How disappointing - it would of been nice to see something full length and more seasonal like the 'Nutcracker' - Acosta's 'Carmen' is not really suitable for a younger audience either and neither is it particularly inspiring - shame.
Don't agree with you there Joanne. Nutcracker has had more than it's fair share of coverage in the past and has a live cinema broadcast coming up on weds. The final performance by Carlos Acosta was a huge event and will be a thrill for all his fans ( me included) to see on TV .
Delighted to hear that the thrilling Andrea Chenier and Carlos Acosta's farewell performance will be broadcast over Christmas! Also that the Male Dancers are at last being featured as strongly as the ballerinas!! Can't wait to see who Darcey features! Thank you ROH!!
Very poor Christmas presntation from Covent Garden. Apart from the sublime Andrea Chenier it seems there is nothing else the Royal Opera can present?
Dear Peter
Sorry that you were disappointed in our Christmas presentation. We were delighted that the BBC took a full opera from Covent Garden, in addition to a new ballet. We'd always like to see more of our art forms on TV, but the BBC has to balance all types of material across their schedules.
If you're looking for more opera you may enjoy our playlist of extracts on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFEuShFvJzBwWRblMAg_bSeFeQMbPPOOx
Merry Christmas!
Ellen
Agree. Glad Mr. Acosta will be moving on.
Absolutely loved Carmen. Nothing more to add to that, other than when will it be released on dvd?
Thank you ROH for the opportunity to see Carlos Acosta's Carmen again! I absolutely loved it and hope I can buy the DVD soon.