Christopher Bruce’s ballet uses an inventive choreographic language to enact the horrors of a brutal interrogation. Two uniformed guards (Matz Skoog and Kevin Richmond) conjure up a terrifying music-hall double act, smiling maliciously as they torture their victim (Koen Onzia) who, in moments of respite, expresses his longing for freedom in passages of lyrical beauty. The piece is set to an original electronic score by Philip Chambon. This production was recorded in studio.
Sergeant Early’s Dream
British, Irish and American folk tunes inspired choreographer Christopher Bruce to create this exuberant, yet poignant, ballet which takes as its theme the migration of people to the ‘New World’ in America. In this studio recording, a series of dances recalls the lives, loves and hardships left behind in the old world and expresses the sadness of tearing up roots to re-plant them in a land that will inevitably develop a culture of its own.
Intimate Pages
This Christopher Bruce ballet is set to Leoš Janácek’s String Quartet No. 2. The composer wrote this piece in 1928, the last year of his life, inspired by his unconsummated love for a young married woman, to whom he wrote over six hundred letters, Bruce’s lyrical work expresses both the joy and the anguish that are present in Janácek’s music. The designs for this studio recording are by Walter Nobbe.
The Dream Is Over
Christopher Bruce’s ballet, specially-choreographed for television, is set to music by John Lennon and performed by soloists of the Cullberg Ballet. The piece has a biographical theme and includes scenes recalling Lennon with his family, breaking out of his working class background, falling in love and eventually dying at the hands of an assassin. The songs used are Mother, Working Class Hero, Love, Well, Well, Well, Look at Me, Don’t Believe It, My Mummy is Dead and Imagine. A documentary introduction to this programme is also available.
Silence Is The End Of Our Song
Christopher Bruce’s moving ballet is danced to Chilean folk songs, including several by Violetta Para and the poet/song-writer Victor Jara, who was assassinated by the junta that overthrew Allende’s government in 1973. Dedicated to the Chilean people, the work shows the tension and sorrow of a country in turmoil. Contrasting light and darkness, it embraces celebration and evokes the courage needed to confront political adversity and the threat of death. This performance was recorded in studio.