BALLET
I SUpposE it was too much to hope that, besides Benjamin Britten's opera, Gloriana, we might also have had a full-length ballet from Frederick Ashton to celebrate the great occasion of the Coronation, As it is we, and he, have had to be content with a far more modest balletic offering in Homage to the Queen, which, although not on a scale worthy of its purpose, fails neither in spirit nor in the general quality of its conception. The ballet, in the form of a Masque based on the four Elements, opens appropriately with a stately procession of the Queens of the Earth, the Waters, Fire and the Air, each with her consort and attendants. After this introduction, each little Court holds the stage in turn, until finally all reassemble and pay " Homage to the Queen ' in an Apotheosis which conjures up visions of both Elizabeth Tudor and the young Queen Elizabeth II.
Frederick Ashton is' at his best in his arrangements for the second and fourth groups, namely the Elements of Water and Air. Violetta Elvin, John Hart and their corps-de-ballet perform beautifully suggestive movements, evocative of the rise and fall of waves and of the abstract quality of flowing waters. Margot Fonteyn, clear and crisp as a spring breeze, is whirled about in space by Michael Somes in a pas-de-deux which is, paradoxically, at the same time, gentle and exciting. Both Fonteyn and Elvin are excellently suited to their roles. Earth, whose characteristic symbolism is the most difficult to define, emerges as the weakest part of the ballet, as Nadia Nerina, its Queen, is the least mature of the four premieres danseuses. Fire is only partly successful. The pas-de-quatre and the brilliant solo by Alexander Grant vividly recall darting, serpent-like tongues of flame with all their implied cruelty and relentlessness ; but despite Beryl Grey's fine execution of her extremely difficult enchafnements, hers is, at the best, an unrewarding part. This dancer is in great danger of being typed, obviously on account of her striking performances in Checkmate and Donald of the Burthens. There is a tendency to exploit the brilliant and brittle qualities she can so readily assume, and to neglect the great lyrical feeling which is her more natural form of expression. All in all, Ashton's is a gay and dignified tribute to our young Queen, and he has been well supported by his composer, Malcolm Arnold, and his designer, Oliver Messel. LILLIAN BROWSE.
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