For the third year running and in partnership with Versión Digital, the British Council is proud to support the new Royal Opera House season in cinemas with an ambitious programme that combines well-loved classics with ground-breaking contemporary works. On a global level audiences in Spain were the most regular over the last season with hundreds of thousands of people attending all over the country, thereby making the 2016-2017 season into one of the most successful in the history of the Royal Opera House.
This year the broadcasts begin on 20th September with Mozart’s iconic opera The Magic Flute directed by Julia Jones, followed by a new production of Puccini’s Bohème on 3rd October with a magnificent cast of promising new stars directed by Richard Jones. We will have the opportunity to enjoy Verdi twice this year with Rigoletto (directed by Alexander Joel) on 16th January and Antonio Pappano directing Verdi’s version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth on 4th April. Finally Tosca directed by Dan Ettinger on 7th February and a new production of Carmen which has already had over 500 performances at Covent Garden on 8th March will bring the opera digital season to a flourishing close.
For its part the Royal Ballet will present a highly appealing season with top class productions that include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (23rd October) and The Winter’s Tale on 28th February choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. The centenary year of the composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein will be commemorated with works by Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor and Liam Scarlett, who will also be choreographing one of the season’s most eagerly anticipated shows; the new production of Swan Lake (12th June) with music by Tchaikovsky. Kenneth MacMillan’s magnificent adaptation of Manon on 3rd May and the traditional Nutcracker on 5th December complete this exceptional programme.