I was intrigued by the Royal Ballet’s latest production of George Balanchine’s “Jewels” so I decide d to invite some of our most loyal customers to join me at the Royal Opera House for an evening of ballet and music by their sensational orchestra.
Choreographer Balanchine was inspired by the colour and beauty of the gemstones he saw in the collection of Van Cleef & Arpels and each movement used a different stone for its inspiration and a different composer for its sound. This is the closing ballet of the season and I was looking forward to seeing the whole Company dancing together. The choreography was indeed breathtaking with Fauré setting the lyrical, subtle scene of ‘Emeralds’, Stravinsky and some impressively performed New York jazz pieces energising ‘Rubies’ and Tchaikovsky’s peerless music accompanying ‘Diamonds’.
My favourite movement was ‘Rubies’, which was intense, rich, warm and feminine. Yuhui Choe is such a hypnotic dancer and her smile lit up the room. The costumes of ‘Rubies’ really reflected the modern, dare I say approachable tone of the piece.
I was also captivated by Argentinian Marianela Nunez, whose precision and grace have, over the years, put her near the top on my list of contemporary ballet gems. Her partner in ‘Diamond’ and in life, Thiago Soares, also gave an impressive performance and I was delighted to see that the energy of this newly married couple is as electric as ever.
This ballet is now an obvious favourite of mine and my guests and I had such a wonderful evening!
