Elite Syncopations

This unique collection celebrates the pas de deux: the steps for two or partner dances so central to ballets both modern and classical. It brings together 16 exceptional pas de deux from The Royal Ballet's unequalled repertory, in outstanding performances by Company dancers past and present. Representing The Royal Ballet's heritage works and recent creations, as well as 19th-century classics, Pas de Deux demonstrates the choreographic diversity, technical brilliance, show-stopping spectacle and artistry for which The Royal Ballet is acclaimed around the world. Included in this collection are Frederick Ashton's Voices of Spring and pas de deux from his La Fille mal gardée; from Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, Concerto, Elite Syncopations, Manon and Mayerling; from Wayne McGregor's Limen; from Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter's Tale; and from the 19th-century classics Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

"It is never right to play Ragtime fast." Scott Joplin's famous instruction, printed at the top of most of his publications, has been overlooked by many pianists who take quick, Tin Pan Alley tempos for such favorites as Maple Leaf Rag and The Easy Winners. Listening to William Appling's four-CD set of the complete rags, waltzes, and marches, one should be convinced that the correct speed for most of Joplin's piano music seems to be a moderate walking, if not ambling, pace, and Joplin's subtle harmonies and intricate syncopations are easier to appreciate when the timing is leisurely. Appling came to Joplin by way of rediscovering a student's abandoned copy of the Collected Works edition, and playing through the rags in 2001 gave him the impetus to record not only this impressive collection, but also to work on other Joplin projects, such as a full-scale production of the opera Treemonisha.