1980 – Premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody by The Royal Ballet

A celebration piece created for the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, Rhapsody is a ballet that quickly established itself in the repertoire because of its extraordinary musicality and the dazzling choreography for the two lead dancers, which continues to challenge to this day. The ballet, first performed at the Royal Opera House in 1980, was danced to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and the sets and costumes were by Ashton and William Chappell. The original cast included Lesley Collier and Mikhail Baryshnikov.