Now Streaming: Joby Talbot’s The Winter’s Tale

June 27, 2025

The original score of The Winter’s Tale by celebrated British composer Joby Talbot is now available to stream and download worldwide. Performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and conducted by Koen Kessels, this digital release brings to life the extraordinary music that has captivated audiences since the ballet’s 2014 premiere.

Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, The Winter’s Tale is based on Shakespeare’s play of the same name and has become one of the most acclaimed narrative ballets of the 21st century. Talbot’s rich, cinematic score lies at the heart of its success: an evocative work that moves seamlessly between brooding intensity and exuberant lyricism.

A Score of Emotional Depth and Narrative Power

Now available on all major digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music, Talbot’s The Winter’s Tale captures the full scope of the ballet’s emotional and dramatic arc. From King Leontes’ descent into madness to the pastoral warmth of Bohemia and the ballet’s redemptive finale, the score blends traditional orchestration with folk textures and global influences.

A Composer’s Vision

In his own words, Talbot was drawn to the play’s contrasts and contradictions. The Winter’s Tale breaks with classical unities of time, place, and action, shifting from the shadowy confines of the Sicilian court to the vibrant countryside of Bohemia. This oscillating quality, he says, was exactly what made it so rich with possibility for ballet.

The score introduces key motifs early in a specially composed prologue, setting the stage for themes of jealousy, love, and reconciliation. Non-orchestral instruments, including bansuri, hammered dulcimer, accordion, and hand percussion, evoke the imagined world of Bohemia, while lush strings and dramatic orchestration drive the tension and tragedy of Sicilia.

Talbot composed the score over two years between London and southern Oregon, writing the Sicilian music in the city, and much of Bohemia’s in a mountain studio, accompanied by wind chimes and the occasional passing bear. The full composer’s note accompanying the release is available with all digital downloads.

A Landmark Ballet Collaboration

The Winter’s Tale is Talbot’s second full-length collaboration with Christopher Wheeldon following their international success with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Their partnership has continued with Like Water for Chocolate and 2024’s Oscar for The Australian Ballet.

Awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse for this score in 2015, Talbot has solidified his place as one of the most original and expressive composers working in ballet today.

The recording features the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, whose performance highlights the score’s extraordinary range: from intense psychological drama to joyful celebration. The final pas de deux, danced by Lauren Cuthbertson and Edward Watson at the ballet’s premiere, remains for the composer one of the most memorable moments of his career.

“Talbot is a master of evoking mental states.” – Broadway World

“Wheeldon's eloquent storytelling is propelled by Joby Talbot's driving score, its rhythmic accents, perky tunes and underlying ominousness pointing us in all the right directions.” – Evening Standard

“Flitting between Hitchcockian intensity and alluring folk.” – Time Out

Details

Album Title: The Winter’s Tale
Composer: Joby Talbot
Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon
Performed by: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Koen Kessels
Genre: Ballet music, Contemporary Classical, Orchestral
Catalogue number: OACD9054D

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray

Filmed at The Royal Opera House in 2014, The Winter’s Tale ballet is also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray. Find out more at the link below.