2017年9月アーカイブ

Long Awaited Return of the Hamburg Ballet since Their Triumphant Tour 2016

Photo：Kiran West

John Neumeier
Director and Chief Choreographer

Their ultimate dramatic ballet enthralls discerning ballet fans.
The Hamburg Ballet led by Director and Chief Choreographer John Neumeier is one of the most acclaimed companies in the world today. John Neumeier's ballets based on his keen aesthetic sense unweave the psychology of the modern people. During their last Japan tour in 2016, every single performance received a long, enthusiastic standing ovation, and the reputation quickly spread on SNS.

In 2018, they are returning with two of the most popular works in their repertoire, Lady of the Camellias and Nijinsky, together with Neumeier's autobiographical ballet gala The World of John Neumeier which produced a great sensation last time.

Lady of the Camellias depicts the young lovers struggle when they look into themselves through their love. Neumeier's Lady of the Camellias is said to represent faithfully the original novel by Alexandre Dumas fils. Nijinsky is an ultimate masterpiece that tells the dramatic life and mind of the 20th century's dance phenomenon, Nijinsky. Revealing the essence of Neumeier's creation through the beautiful sequence of the excerpts from his works, The World of John Neumeier brings the audience to a real storm of excitement.

Join us to experience the sublime world of ballet art!

Photo：Kiran West

Nijinsky

Photo:Charlotte MacMillan

Alina Cojocaru

Guest Artist

Principals

Carolina Agüero

Karen Azatyan

Silvia Azzoni

Carsten Jung

Hélène Bouchet

Edvin Revazov

Leslie Heylmann

Alexandre Riabko

Anna Laudere

Lloyd Riggins

Alexandr Trusch

Ivan Urban

Special Artist

Photos: Kiran West

The Ultimate Dramatic Ballet Based on the Novel by Alexandre Dumas fils

Photo：Holger Badekow

Alexandre Dumas fils wrote Lady of the Camellias when he was 24. Set in 19th-century Paris, the tragic love story about Marguerite, a courtesan, and her lover Armand, has been immortalized by Verdi in opera, La Traviata. Neumeier's ballet is undoubtedly another masterpiece based on the same novel.

The highlights are the three elaborate pas de deux in each act that demand strong technique through which the relationship between Marguerite and Armand is developed. In Act 1, Marguerite is moved by Armand's passion for her. In Act 2, the lovers are in a state of euphoria, but in the last act, they can realize their love only by hurting each other. This last pas de deux, set to Chopin's Ballade no. 1, depicts their psychological limits. The so-called Black pas de deux, is one of the most sublime pas de deux and often performed at gala performances.

The performances of the same work by the Paris Opera Ballet in Tokyo in 2014 have left us with an unforgettable impression. In 2018, Lady of the Camellias with the Hamburg Ballet will be a new phenomenon.

Cast

Autobiographical Ballet Gala Performed by the Whole Company with a Narration by the Master Himself

Opus 100-for Maurice

Peer Gynt

Choreographer John Neumeier narrates his life charmed by ballet, and the dancers of the Hamburg Ballet under his tutelage perform his masterpieces. In the end, a magnificent, miraculous world emerges--this is The World of John Neumeier.

The ballet begins with Bernstein Dances set to Bernstein's Candid Overture to express John Neumeier's joyous meeting with the world of dance in his childhood. Death in Venice and Peer Gynt tell about his creation through dance, which lead to the psychological world in Saint Mathew Passion and Christmas Oratorio I-IV. In the second part, Nijinsky, Hamlet and Lady of the Camellias depict the themes and people that have influenced Neumeier, which develops the essence of The World of John Neumeier. Opus 100-for Maurice naturally talks about his friendship with Maurice Béjart. The finale with Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler is overwhelming.

Its premiere at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in 2016 received a sustained standing ovation. Some audience members were in tears. It was a legendary night. The heat and excitement spread overnight on SNS, and on the following day, there was a long line of people to buy the tickets of the day.

On this tour 2018, the gala will be performed only one time. Don't miss it!

Bernstein Dances

Photos: Kiyonori Hasegawa

A Masterpiece that Invites the Audience to Experience the Myths of a Dance Phenomenon

The Ballet begins in a reconstruction of the "Festsaal" in the Suvretta-Haus, a hotel in St-Moritz, the room where Nijinsky danced for the last time as a dancer on January 19, 1919; it is a moment of transition, a place of memory and premonition.

In the beginning of the 20th century, a dance troupe led by Serge Diaghilev, the Ballets Russes, took up its home in Paris and soon became a cultural legend, by fascinating the artistic world and high society. Nijinsky was the star dancer of the company. He electrified the audiences with his performing in Scheherazade, Le Spectre de la rose, and Petrushka. Then, he went on to create ballets such as L'Après-midi d'un faune and Jeux, which revealed his talent as choreographer.

Act 1 depicts Nijinsky's creative, glamourous and turbulent life with the Ballets Russes. In Act 2, he is fired by Diaghilev and no longer with the Ballets Russes. As the World War I approaches, his madness and hallucination escalate. His extremely unstable and pathetic state of mind expressed through the incandescent dances by the characters that he danced or created grabs the hearts of the audience members.

Unmistakably, he was a legend. Nijinsky by John Neumeier is a real masterpiece that invites you to experience the myths of a dance phenomenon.

Cast