Judas Tree

Kenneth MacMillan choreographed his last ballet, The Judas Tree, especially for Irek Mukhamedov who takes the lead in this striking production. On a building site in dockland wastes, thirteen workmen, led by their Foreman, react to the vampish behaviour of a woman who has arrived in their midst. In the heated confusion of the group, one man stands alone in the tenderness of his response. Gradually the dark underside of male sexuality and the power of peer pressure are exposed as the ballet sucks us into a web of betrayal, loss and terror.

Tangos Among Friends – Presented by Daniel Barenboim

In this personal pilgrimage, world-renowned pianist and conductor, Daniel Barenboim, travels to Buenos Aires to rediscover his home town, the magic of tango and the legend of its greatest pioneer, Carlos Gardel. Interviews and fabulous archive footage evoke the glamorous and optimistic spirit of Buenos Aires in the early 20th century, and provide a framework for investigating the forces which brought such material and artistic wealth to its impoverished, immigrant communities. Barenboim demonstrates tango styles and techniques, and brings the music of Gardel, Salgán, Píazzolla and Ginastera to life in performances with Rodolfo Mederos and Hector Console, and in a thrilling partnership with Placido Domingo.

Dancing for Dollars – The Bolshoi in Vegas & The Kirov in Petersburg

Thirty years ago the Bolshoi Ballet’s first trip to America was a political and artistic triumph and audiences queued for days to see these legends of ballet. Bolshoi in Vegas, a richly entertaining documentary, follows their disastrous 1996 tour in which they hoped to capitalise on this earlier success. Kirov in Petersburg traces the development of an institution which is both irremediably altered and condemned to trade on its past glories. As Communism gives way to Capitalism and artistic values give way to commercial considerations, the Kirov Ballet’s chief choreographer Oleg Vinogradov’s final year in office is set against allegations of bribery and corruption. Through the deeply personal recollections of workers, dancers and critics, specially-filmed backstage footage and previously unseen archive material, a unique portrait emerges of the Kirov’s changing fortunes in the context of its awesome heritage. “These two documentaries, for all their dance interest, are centrally about the plight and destiny of post-Soviet art, and are profoundly moving.” THE FINANCIAL TIMES – “The Bolshoi in Vegas'” won:1997 International EMMY Award for Best Arts Documentary, Special Commendation at the 1998 Grierson Memorial Trust Awards, Special Mention at the 1998 Golden Prague Awards

Nutcracker Sweeties

Nutcracker Sweeties is Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington’s big band attack on Tchaikovsky. It portrays Broadway and America in the 1940s; full of humour, irony, commentary, swing and blues. The cast, dressed in an array of glamorous Jasper Conran costumes, includes pom-pom girls, drum majorettes, sailors, GIs and Candy Kane. David Bintley’s choreography is a catwalk of jazz styles. With its glamour-puss clothes and flashing neon set, Nutcracker Sweeties is imaginative, funny and visually irresistible.

Journey

Born in Bolzano (Bozen, Italy) in 1934, Herbert Rosendorfer is a lawyer who introduced himself as an author in 1966 with his short story “Die Glasglocke.” This was followed by many novels, stage works, scripts and short stories, which revealed him to be an imaginative and multi-faceted author. A socio-critical satirist, he writes with a well-balanced mixture of wit, thought-provoking ideas and absurd-grotesque elements. All this is also found in his novel “Briefe in die chinesische Vergangenheit” (Letters to China’s Past) of 1983, which ranks among his most well-known books. Here the Chinese Kao-Tai travels from the 10th century to the Munich of the 20th century. In addition to his legal activities, Rosendorfer is honorary professor for contemporary Bavarian literature at the University of Munich and obtained the Bavarian Literature Prize in 1999.