History

The Royal Italian Opera at Covent Garden (commonly known more simply as “Covent Garden”) was one of the leading opera houses of London during the 19th century. Initially, all operas were presented in Italian, even those written in French, German or English. The theatre was more widely known as Covent Garden, after its location.

William Thompson moved his troupe from Her Majesty’s Theatre to Covent Garden in 1886. This was in large part due to Thompson was already quarrelling with James Henry Mapleson, the manager of Her Majesty’s, who refused to allow him to create a new ballet and insisted he be limited to reviving older works. Thus, when Thompson received an invitation from the Royal Italian Opera to move his ballet troupe he accepted the invitation.

The troupe’s first performance at Covent Garden was Ondine in 1887, the same ballet which had been used to open their residence at Her Majesty’s theatre ten years earlier. The ballet was again a success, with the German première danseuse Marta Draeger dazzling in her performances as the titular nymph.

Part of Thompson’s move was his wish to create a new ballet, which he did, choreographing the one-act ballet The Amphitrite at breakneck speed so that it could have its première in the 1887 season, and also premièring in the same season was a revival of Thompson’s 1876 one-act ballet The Harvest Festival. Thompson’s troupe would continue to be resident at Covent Garden until the present day, officially being renamed the Royal Ballet in 1892, the same year the Royal Italian Opera became the Royal Opera House.

In 1888 Thompson founded a ballet school at the theatre, the Covent Garden School for Ballet which was renamed the Royal Ballet School in 1892.

Following the 1906 revival of Naïla for Carolina Ferreira, Richard Hague began (partly due to the number of première danseuses at Covent Garden) to present three productions a season, a convention which mostly held until 1914.

Productions

1887

• Ondine
• The Amphitrite
• The Harvest Festival

1888

• Giselle
• The Fairy of the Forest

1889

• The Corsair
• Faust

1890

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• The Wayward Daughter

1891

• The Beauty of Ghent
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

1892

• The Peri
• Sylvia

1893

• Pygmalion
• The Fairies’ Goddaughter

1894

• Esmeralda
• The Devil to Pay

1895

• Coppelia
• The Sylph

1896

• The Buccaneers
• The Swords of Toledo

1897

• The Corsair
• The Beauty of Ghent

1898

• Giselle
• The Two Pigeons

1899

• Pygmalion
• The Wayward Daughter

1900

• Naïla
• The Beauty of Ghent
• The Devil to Pay

1901

• Ondine
• Esmeralda

1902

• Fairest Isle
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• The Swords of Toledo

1903

• The Peri
• Tristan and Yseult

1904

• Yedda
• The Corsair

1905

• Giselle
• The Two Peasant Girls
• The Amphitrite

1906

• The Buccaneers
• Sylvia
• Naïla

1907

• Ondine
• The Wayward Daughter
• Naïla

1908

• The Fairy of the Forest
• Coppelia
• The Corsair

1909

• Alcandra or The Amazons
• The Devil to Pay

1910

• Ondine
• Pygmalion
• The Swords of Toledo

1911

• Le Corsaire
• Esmeralda
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

1912

• The Pearl of Iberia
• The Fairy Doll
• The Two Peasant Girls

1913

• The Swords of Toledo
• Giselle
• The Wayward Daughter

1914

• Tristan and Yseult
• The Automaton
• The Choice of Hercules
• The Red Masque