Cathy Marston | Choreographer Artistic Director
The Cellist / 2020

The Cellist

Inspired by the extraordinary life-force and musicianship of Jacqueline du Pre.

Premiere: 17th Feb 2020 for The Royal Ballet (Main Stage, Royal Opera House, London)

The performance was relayed to over 1000 cinemas worldwide and will be later produced on a DVD.

Choreography: Cathy Marston

Scenario: Cathy Marston and Edward Kemp

Music: Philip Feeney incorporating Elgar, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn, Faure, Schubert and others

Set Design: Hildegard Bechtler

Costume Design: Bregje van Balen

Light Design: Jon Clark

Choreographic Collaborator: Jenny Tattersall

Length: 58 mins approx

Cast: 25-30 dancers (3 principal roles originally created by Lauren Cuthbertson, Marcelino Sambe, Matthew Ball)

"Magical, supremely romantic (Romantic, even) and stirring right from the start, The Cellist is a supreme case in point. A many-sided love story and love letter…Marston never les accuracy get in the way of truth…the stage pulsates with life, and the hour-long piece mostly zips by with tremendous speed, almost like an incredibly details, emotionally overpowering dream."
The Telegraph

"A richly metaphorical love story between a musician and her instrument."
The Stage

"It is a considerable piece, full of feeling and imagination lingering in the mind long after the curtain has come down."
The Observer

"The premiere was greeted as a triumph"
Sunday Times

An excerpt of the cinema broadcast

Insight Evening on The Cellist (interviews and rehearsal)

Interviews with the cast and creative

ITV News coverage of The Cellist by Julie Etchingham

BBC News at Ten coverage of The Cellist by Will Gompertz

BBC Radio 4 report by Caroline Wyatt

BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour report on The Cellist

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