Choreographer Graeme Murphy Brings Premiere of THE SILVER ROSE to Melbourne

Choreographic legend Graeme Murphy brings the glamorous Australian premiere of The Silver Rose to Melbourne this March.

Following the success of Murphy's unique interpretations of Swan Lake, Firebird and The
Nutcracker, The Silver Rose will be one of the most eagerly anticipated works on the Australian stage in 2010.

Opening at the Arts Centre on 19 March, The Silver Rose is a lavish full-length production based loosely on the classic opera The Rose Cavalier. Choreographed by Murphy and creative associate
Janet Vernon, their vision of the ballet is completed with spectacular Art Nouveau sets by Roger Kirk, and beautifully enhanced with music by Australian composer Carl Vine.

In Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier (The Rose Cavalier), Murphy saw the makings of a great extensive and include over 25 scores for classical ballet: a timeless tale of jealousy, infidelity, and love gone wrong. The tangle of romantic intrigue is ripe for comic interpretation as the cast tie each other in beautifully choreographed romantic knots.

Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister, said he was thrilled to be bringing The
Silver Rose home after it premiered on the Bavarian State Ballet in 2005.

"With an all-Australian creative team we just had to staged something of a ballet coup". On its
bring this glorious production home and stage it with an all-Australian cast!"

The story

Set in turn-of-the-last-century Vienna, The Silver Rose is the story of an alluring and intelligent
woman - an actress, the Marschallin - in the middle of her life. Though still very beautiful, she's
troubled by the clock's ceaseless tick and worried her lover might fall for a younger woman. Inevitably, he does.

The production
Premiering in Germany in 2005, The Silver Rose boasts an all-Australian creative team. Graeme
Murphy, an alumnus of The Australian Ballet, is a master storyteller and one of Australia's greatest choreographers.

Along with his creative associate Janet Vernon, Murphy is best known for his long and influential
tenure as the leader of Australia's internationally renowned contemporary dance troupe Sydney
Dance Company. One of Australia's pre-eminent composers, and a long-time Murphy collaborator, Carl Vine has compiled an arrangement of his greatest works for The Silver Rose. The music is a collage of pre- existing pieces, including his Piano Concerto and Symphony No. 4.2. Vine's compositions are Rose Cavalier), Murphy saw the makings of a great extensive and include over 25 scores for classical dance.

As Dick Van Dyke did in Mary Poppins, Roger Kirk has made a painting come to life. With Klimt-like golds and silvers, he created colourful and opulent sets and costumes - a glamorous world influenced by art on a grand scale.

For more information, visit www.australianballet.com.au