Whilst the government enforces lockdown amidst the distressing headlines about the virus that shall not be named, I invite you to take refuge at home and dip into the wealth of stimulating, cultural activities charitably being made available to keep our spirits up and our mind at ease. In particular, I have really enjoyed the beautiful production of ‘Peter and The Wolf’ by the Royal Ballet School in collaboration with the Royal Opera House.

 

The visually striking half an hour performance of Matthew Hart’s beloved ballet premiered on 27th March on their website and YouTube channel respectively, as part of their #OurHouseToYourhouse series where archived ballet performances are being shown for “free online content for the culturally curious”. The charming arrangement of Prokofiev’s music sparkles in time with the playful characters adorned in creative costuming that was able to convey many unusual characters from the eponymous wolf to single blades of grass and tulip bulbs.

 

There was a certain comforting quality to the performance due to the innocent and juvenile storyline, the nostalgia-inducing colour palette and the fact that the recording came from a showing from a decade ago, reminding all of ‘simpler’ times.

 

I would recommend the ballet shows being broadcasted by the Royal Opera House to anyone with internet connection and a spare 30 minutes on their hands. Despite being fairly illiterate in the world of ballet, I feel passionately that anyone could appreciate the craft, detail and excellence of everyone involved in making such beautiful shows, even if you are a self-proclaimed novice in the world of ballet and opera.

 

There was also a bizarre sense of community to be found in the never-ending feed of YouTube comments from others stuck in their homes wanting to engage in something cultural and ward off the growing boredom. Whilst this performance might be too light or possibly even childish for some, I would urge the cynics to tune in at 7pm GMT 3rd April for a showing of Handel’s effervescent ‘Acis and Galatea’ – an opera dating back to 1718 and based off Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses'.

 

See you there!

 

Amala Sangha