Sir Kenneth MacMillan (1929–1992) was artistic director and principal choreographer of the Royal Ballet from 1970 until he died. He is still “celebrated” almost every year, with his big hits Romeo and Juliet (1965) and Manon (1974) remaining perennial audience favourites. But MacMillan’s one-act pieces have arguably done more to shape the collective identity of the Royal Ballet, and none of the pieces in this triple bill has been seen for years: high time this sheer range of invention be “celebrated” too.

In Danses Concertantes (1955), the company give us a carnival atmosphere, with hints of cocktail-party glamour: feet flick like knives, with mechanical precision. With crazy speeds, this is a genuinely comedic piece that also allows us to enjoy the spectacle of those wild costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis, who enjoyed a lifetime partnership with MacMillan as designer. Who knew the mid-fifties were so much fun?

Different Drummer (1986), MacMillan’s disturbing take on Büchner’s Woyzeck (1836), proves that ballet is capable of presenting the full gamut of human experience, even in just forty-five minutes. Marcelino Sambé dances the lead as if his own life depends on it, at times expressed only as a depressed and self-protective hobble: a powerful interpretation. Even without any text, the ballet still manages to convey the horror of Woyzeck’s experience.

MacMillan’s Requiem (1976) is set to Fauré’s most famous work, offering a sublime finale that also features the Royal Opera Chorus joining the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (conducted with immense grace by Koen Kessels). In 1976 MacMillan was processing the shock and grief of losing a close friend (the choreographer John Cranko). MacMillan wasn’t religious, but this piece seems to spring from his rage and bewilderment. By the final number, “In Paradisum”, as the entire cast step one by one into a space of pearlescent light, it seems peace has descended. The entire company are to be applauded in tackling the intense emotion in these short works head on, creating not just an evening of ballet, but of theatre too.

Playing at the Royal Opera House 20 March – 13 April 2024.