BALLET dancers will portray the life and death of Princess Diana to a bizarre mix of classical music by Worcestershire composer Sir Edward Elgar and rock tunes by The Cure.

Diana the Princess tells the doomed story of the late Princess of Wales - who died in a car crash in France in 1997 - and premires in Manchester next month.

Elgar's work will feature in the lavish production alongside music by rock band The Cure, whose hit Love Song is played in the ballet.

The production - led by choreographer Peter Schaufuss - touches on themes such as Diana's romance with Dodi al-Fayed and her strained relationship with the Queen and Prince Philip.

Also featured in the ballet is Diana's BBC interview with Martin Bashir, Tony Blair's ''people's princess'' speech and brother Earl Spencer's eulogy.

Its timing is set to cause controversy, following the announcement of the marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles and as the inquests continue into the deaths of Diana - played in the ballet by Zara Deakin - and Dodi al-Fayed.

Many of Elgar's works - including Land of Hope and Glory and The Enigma Variations - have become some of Britain's best-loved pieces of classical music, but it is not yet known which will feature in the ballet.

Catherine Sloan, director of the Elgar Birthplace Museum in Lower Broadheath, said Elgar's music was an appropriate choice for the ballet.

"Elgar had a long history of royal connections and had many honours awarded by royalty at the time," she said.

"In 1924 he was made master of the king's music which was an extremely high honour and there have always been royal connections so maybe this is quite fitting.

"It's quite nice to see Elgar juxtaposed against a more modern group and I think he would've been amused by the whole thing and that people think his music still has relevance alongside popular works."

It is not the first time work by the composer - who was born in Lower Broadheath in 1857 and lived in Worcester and Malvern for part of his life - has come face-to-face with rock music.

Musician Manfred Mann, famous for hits in the 60s including Pretty Flamingo and Do Wah Diddy Diddy - recorded a selection of original and unheard work by the composer in December 2003 - which were released in February last year.