“During creation, every new ballet seems a possible film. When developing the idea of filming “A Midsummer Night’s Dream“, I insisted on planning a true ballet film which, for me, is completely different than a documentary. I intended to put the audience into the ballet, to bring it closer. Within the three days of recording, we did not schedule a single complete run-through of the work. Instead, we recorded the film in sequences and with exciting camera positions which can be compared to the way one would film a drama. What we really love when watching films, is the immediacy, the vibrancy of the moment. The camera being so close, means that we don’t want the dancers representing something, we don’t want them presenting something, we want them simply being – “now”. We want that spark of truth that springs towards us and that touches us.” John Neumeier In 1977 John Neumeier created one of his most popular ballets for the Hamburg Ballet: A Midsummer Night’s Dream based on William Shakespeare. This production has been invited regularly for guest performances in Europe, Asia, North and South America. The Hamburg Ballet’s archives document more than 300 performances. In addition, the ballet has been produced by prestigious companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet and the Ballet of the Bolshoi.
Le Corsaire
With fairytale-like staging and a “Pas de deux” that made Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn a legend and always awaited in the ballet galas, Le Corsaire is considered a choreographic milestone in the history of ballet. Le Corsaire debuted with enormous success at La Scala to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the legendary choreographer Marius
Petipa. The choreographic version by Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev made it „great fun! Spinatelli has given the dancers ravishing costumes and the orchestra plays some of ballet’s biggest hits. La Scala’s ballet company in top form.” (Gramilano) “A majestic staging and an excellent Dance Corps.” (L´ape Musicale) “Impeccable” (Informadanza)
Peer Gynt
In this story ballet, choreographer Edward Clug merges the distinct versions of Peer Gynt by Edward Grieg and Henrik Ibsen into a new ballet experience. “A brilliant narrator” (Kronenzeitung), Clug captures the fantastic adventures of the boastful peasant boy, who sets off to become emperor of the world, with the help of the bold stage and costume design by Marko Japelij and Leo Kulaš. The result are “magical scenes, never seen like this in conventional ballets” (Kurier) with “an outstanding cast, down to the smallest roles” (Opernfreund).
The Sleeping Beauty
Indeed, it was to La Scala in 1966 that Nureyev entrusted the debut of “his” Sleeping Beauty, and now, twelve years after its last performance, his masterpiece returns to the stage with the magnificent sets created by Oscar winner Franca Squarciapino at La Scala in 1993, and Felix Korobov conducting the extraordinary score by Tchaikovsky. “Timofej Andrijashenko had a great debut with the Désiré of Nureyev. Polina Semionova was an amazing Aurora” (Strata Gemmi) “A great production, a success thanks to a superlative and thrilling ballet company.” (LUUK)
Beethoven Project – A Ballet by John Neumeier
Beethoven Project is John Neumeier’s choreographic tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven, blending elements of Narrative and Symphonic Ballet. Based on the “Eroica Variations”, piano and chamber music, the “Prometheus” Ballet and the “Eroica” Symphony, John Neumeier describes his idea of the Beethoven Project: “My ballet is an attempt to give physical shape to the form and emotion of Beethoven’s music. The music continues to offer me the most direct biographical material. My choreography, however, does not illustrate historical facts. What interests me, are the contradictory aspects of our image of Beethoven in relation to the music itself. As a choreographer, I look for the emotional essence of characters and situations, communicated by movements alone.”
John Neumeier Collection
Four Ballets by John Neumeier: The Little Mermaid / Die kleine Meerjungfrau, Tatiana, Weihnachtsoratorium / Christmas Oratorio and Nijinsky.“Neumeier´s place in the ballet world is as singular as his interpretation of the tale.” (San Francisco Chronicle about The Little Mermaid) “Once again it is impossible not to be impressed by the flawless technique of the ensemble … When at the end Lloyd Riggins tap-dances his way across the stage like Fred Astaire, the Christmas Oratorio is complete.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) “Nearly nobody else besides John Neumeier can tell stories with the bodies of his dancers. Tatiana is three hours of danced poetry.” (Hamburger Morgenpost) “Nijinsky – an inexhaustible topic. Where to begin, where to end?” (John Neumeier) John Neumeier, the artistic director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet and the longest serving artistic director in the world, will celebrate his 80th birthday on February 24th, 2019.
The Nureyev Box
Three of the most popular ballets in the original versions created by the world-famous ballet genius Rudolf Nureyev, with the Wiener Staatsballett, one of the greatest companies in the world. “A masterly performance in every respect.” (Die Presse about Swan Lake); “No version of The Nutcracker that we have ever seen has been more potently dramatic; few have displayed so sharp an imprint of personal style.” (Clive Barnes); “Elegant, romantic, delightful” (Die Presse); “Outstanding soloists.” (Der Standard); “A Don Quixote to love … Legris and company can count the evening a total success.” (Die Presse); As for the two principals, Maria Yakovleva and Denys Cherevychko as Kitri and Basil, no praise was high enough: “both are technically brilliant.” (Wiener Zeitung)
The Lover’s Garden (Il Giardino degli Amanti)
Il Giardino degli Amanti – Magic in Mozart’s Garden. In the garden of a Baroque villa, a chamber orchestra is playing Mozart’s wonderful quartets and quintets, and everywhere is pervaded with echoes and references to the composer’s world. As if by magic or conjured by the imagination, figures emerge from the shadows of the labyrinthine garden: they are Mozart’s characters, and they play with – or perhaps make fun of – the guests at the party, embroiling them in their well-known amorous dalliances. With lightness and irony, this journey into the universe of Mozart tips its hat to the 1700s also with the scenery and costumes, and fills the garden with fun and passionate virtuoso dances, which follow each other dynamically and quickly with constant changes in the mood. Like in a dream where everything is jumbled together, where reality and illusion merge. This piece, in which the spectator encounters among the dreamlike medley many well-known protagonists from Mozart’s operas (including Figaro, Don Giovanni, and the Queen of the Night), is a full-length choreographic work by Massimiliano Volpini, who himself performed on stage for many years as a dancer with the Scala ensemble. The topclass soloists, Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni, supported by the Corps de Ballet, carry the spectator through a magical maze all the way back to Mozart’s epoch.
Nijinsky – A Ballet by John Neumeier
„Nijinsky“ is the title of this „choreographic approach“ to a dance phenomenon that has been part of Neumeier‘s life ever since the beginning of his career. During his approximately ten years as a dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky set a new standard both technically and expressively, while in his choreographic work he pointed the way towards modern dance. His personal fate and mental illness that forced him to spend the last 30 years of his life in various asylums and in the keeping of his wife gave his short artistic career an even more aweinspiring and sensational quality. All three aspects – the dancer, the choreographer and the person Nijinsky – form the starting point for John Neumeier‘s latest creation. Neumeier, who as early as 1979 presented a short ballet „Vaslav“, is regarded as one of the leading Nijinsky experts worldwide. Nevertheless, it was not without reluctance that he took up the task of honouring through dance a dance legend: „In creating a work about a historical person, what aspect should we concentrate on? Who was he truly: The man? The artist? Which witness, what information can we trust, which theories should one follow? What point of view can we take towards the complex puzzle Nijinsky? An instinctive choice must be made…“ and sensational quality.
Romeo and Juliet
This classic choreography of Romeo and Juliet by Kenneth MacMillan, set to the immortal notes of Prokofiev, is legendary in La Scala´s repertoire. In this ballet the choreographer MacMillan deals with the matter paying great attention to human relations, lyricism and psychological tension, without neglecting moments of humour, through the dynamics and the emotions of ballet d’action. Set and costumes are designed especially for La Scala by Mauro Carosi and Odette Nicoletti. The stars of this masterly performance are Roberto Bolle and Misty Copeland, together for the first time in this ballet. Iconic ballerina Misty Copeland makes history as the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. In addition to her dance career, Copeland has become a public speaker, celebrity spokesperson and stage performer. She has written two autobiographical books and narrated a documentary about her career challenges, A Ballerina’s Tale. In 2015, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, appearing on its cover. It’s the first performing Ballet DVD featuring Misty Copeland!