English National Ballet Philharmonic have joined together for a virtual rendition of an extract from Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda to say thank you to the NHS for the vital work they are doing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Recorded from the musician’s homes under the virtual baton of English National Ballet Music Director, Gavin Sutherland, this is the second online rendition from the orchestra following the release of a Swan Lake extract last month.
English National Ballet premieres a new version of the classic story ballet Raymonda, directed and choreographed by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo (after Marius Petipa), in Autumn 2020. Rojo’s adaptation takes inspiration from the ground-breaking spirit of Florence Nightingale, in this her bicentennial year, recasting the character of Raymonda as a young woman with a calling to become a nurse.
Gavin Sutherland said: “The legendary Florence Nightingale dedicated her entire life to the nursing profession, and so with Tamara’s adaptation in mind, music from Raymonda felt like the perfect choice for expressing our gratitude to the amazing NHS staff for all their hard work in these challenging times.”
In the spirit of the UK’s #ClapForOurCarers initiative which celebrates the heroic efforts of the NHS every Thursday evening, English National Ballet Philharmonic’s remote performance of Raymonda will be released in the lead up to the applause on Thursday 09 April at 6pm on English National Ballet’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Find out more about ENB at HOME online content here: ballet.org.uk/enb-at-home