(I was looking up the history of Images of Love to find some information about the trio we're to see in the RB's Nureyev programme, and thought some others might be interested.)

Images of Love

First performance: April 2nd, 1964 at the Royal Opera House

Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan
Designs: Barry Kay
Music: Peter Tranchell
Lighting: William Bundy

Cast:

Rudolf Nureyev
Svetlana Beriosova, Donald Macleary
Lynn Seymour, Christopher Gable
Nadia Nerina, Alexander Grant
Desmond Doyle, Keith Rosson, Derek Rencher
Gerogina Parkinson, Deanne Bergsma, Monica Mason
Vergie Derman, Rosalind Eyre, Carole Needham
David Jones, Geoffrey Cauley, Paul Brown

Kenneth MacMillan made Images of Love as part of a triple bill staged by the Royal Ballet to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare.

The ballet had nine separate sections, each introduced by a recording of some lines by Shakespeare, spoken by actor Derek godfrey. Each quotation included the word 'love', and MacMillan's choreography reflected what each one suggested to him.

The one we are to see in the Nureyev programme was section 7, and it was preceded by a reading of sonnet 144:

Two loves I have of comfort and despair,
Which like two spirits do suggest me still;
The better angel is a man right fair,
The worser spirit a woman, colour'd ill.
To win me soon to hell, my female evil
Tempteth my better angel from my side,
And would corrupt my saint to be a devil,
Wooing his purity with her foul pride.
And whether that my angel be turn'd fiend
Suspect I may, but not directly tell;
But being both from me, both to each friend,
I guess one angel is another's hell:

Yet this I shall ne'er know, but live in doubt,
Till my bad angel fire my good one out.

Very much MacMillan territory, you might think - and it was the only section in which he attempted a direct 'translation' of the situation into dance. The piece was made for Nureyev, Christopher Gable and Lynn Seymour, identified with Shakespeare, his Beloved/Mr W.H./sacred love, and the Dark Lady/profane love respectively. (In the rest of the ballet Nureyev played the typical MacMillan 'outsider', not being directly involved in any of the other sections, and left alone at the end - though one review implies that the original plan was that there would be a solo for him.)

Lynn Seymour describes the choreography as 'a lightning flash of arms and legs, reaching ravenously towards some ceaselss pleasure', and says it 'explored the oriental classicism of Japan's Kabuki Theatre'. (And caused Nureyev to start calling her Lil, short for Kabuki Lil.) From the reviews, and talking to people who saw it, the combined effect of three such strong stage personalities made more of an impression than the choreography.

The critics on the whole were unimpressed, the most favourable being Andrew Porter (Clement Crisp's predecessor at the FT), who thought it 'an important and enthralling ballet'. One of the main problems seems to have been the music, which nobody much cared for - more than one person described it as 'film soundtrack' music. (Peter Tranchell was a Cambridge musician, who once wrote an opera based on Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridege. There's an obituary of him here if you want to know more - scroll down.) Nureyev only danced the first four performances; Gable then moved over to his role, and Donald Macleary did Gable's role in the trio. The ballet was revived the next season with major cuts - three of the sections were dropped - but had only 19 performances in all at Covent Garden, and a few on tour. (but in case you think this was the critics ganging up on poor MacMillan, the other new work premiered on the same bill got some fairly sniffy notices too - and that was Frederick Ashton's The Dream)

I do hope they're doing it in the original costumes and I'll get to see Lynn Seymour's wig, which looks quite something from the photographs!

Of the first three items I wrote "A bit superficial". Of the fourth, "If you love her you cannot see her" I said "At last- interesting, original choreography, modern, sensuous and twisted, superbly danced." (Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable). Of "Love lend me wings" - "Funny but not very deep". I was impressed by "When Love begins to sicken and decay". The last one " I break my fast" I described as "shallow".

Of the "Two loves I have of comfort and despair", the relevant one here, with Nureyev, Seymour and Gable, I wrote:

"Obviously the best subject, and the most ambitious idea. A little confusing if you don't know the sonnet by heart. Very intense interpretation from all three. Nureyev, as the central figure, seemed quite at home in this very alien style, plastic and smooth."

I can't believe I wrote that it was more interesting than The Dream, but I was young and this was the sixties - we liked things "modern" and gritty! Lynn Seymour's wig was indeed something, but I remember her and Nureyev and the blond, curly-haired Christopher Gable as looking very beautiful.

My programme is signed by Ashton and Nureyev - no offers accepted!