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History

March 2011

On March 14 a double-CD of the music from the ballet The Most Incredible Thing is released under the name Tennant/Lowe. It contains the full performance score of the ballet with orchestrations by Sven Helbig.

2011 March

On March 17 the ballet The Most Incredible Thing has its first public performance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Its genesis can be traced back to a week in where, by chance, two initially unrelated events took place. Ivan Putrov, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet whom the Pet Shop Boys had got to know through Sam Taylor-Wood, called Neil to ask whether they would write a piece for him to dance to. Two days later, before Neil had even had a chance to ask Chris, Chris called to say that he’d just read a story in a new translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales that he thought would make a great ballet: “The Most Incredible Thing”. This eventually led to the Sadler’s Wells production, choreographed by Javier de Frutos and starring Ivan Putrov, Clemmie Sveaas and Aaron Sillis. All ten performances sell out.

May 2011

On May 27 the Pet Shop Boys appear at the Sunderland Stadium of Light, joining Take That at their invitation as “special guests” on their first reunion concerts as a five-piece on what will be the biggest British tour ever – 29 British stadium shows – followed by a short European leg. “45 minutes of intensity,” says Chris.

December 2011

On December 31 the Pet Shop Boys appear at a New Year’s Eve concert on an island in Sydney Harbour.

On this day

2000

The Pet Shop Boys perform in Granada, Spain.

2005

They work in their London studio on ‘For Every Moment’—a song that would remain unreleased for nearly 15 years.

2008

Neil is interviewed in the third part of BBC4’s Pop Britannia, a documentary concerning the struggle between art and commerce in British popular music.

2011

The Boys announce via Twitter that they have now finished mixing and mastering the music for their ballet The Most Incredible Thing in preparation for CD release in March.

2012

They work on the song ‘Invisible.’

2017

Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders notes on her Facebook page that she’s in the studio recording with Neil, dropping a broad hint that it has something to do with her recent song ‘Let’s Get Lost.’ But it’s not clear at the time precisely what the outcome will be. (It ultimately proves to be a remake, released as a single, in which she duets with Neil.)