News from Germany, Austria, Switzerland

[FionaM]

1 hour ago, Vanartus said:

I was lucky enough to talk to Christian Spuck two weeks ago, and he was clear that he didn’t want to overstock the company with his own work. He really does want to get the full range, and further develop its own identity which I find really good. 

I agree… this does sound good.  A ballet company with its own identity.  Yes please.  

[Don Q Fan]

Thank you Sabine and Vanartus for your informed views. It's good to hear. It sounds like things will develop under Spuck. I'll keep an eye on the offerings. As you say there is a wealth of past works that could be used again in future. I think I felt Swan Lake and Giselle were just a bit tame when there is more exciting rep in the company eg Onegin or their lovely Bayadere. I appreciate that they have to earn a living, so if the contemporary stuff sells, so be it. 

[Sabine0308]

1 hour ago, Don Q Fan said:

Thank you Sabine and Vanartus for your informed views. It's good to hear. It sounds like things will develop under Spuck. I'll keep an eye on the offerings. As you say there is a wealth of past works that could be used again in future. I think I felt Swan Lake and Giselle were just a bit tame when there is more exciting rep in the company eg Onegin or their lovely Bayadere. I appreciate that they have to earn a living, so if the contemporary stuff sells, so be it. 

I do hope that we will get back Onegin as well as the two beloved La Bayadère and Nutcracker (I miss this so much, it was a tradition to see it, and then Christmas time began❤️). It will take time especially because of the "Black face" discussions and fake Indian culture in Bayadère. I'm sure they know how well Munich handles this topic.

[myrtle]

These programs are intriguing but I'm a bit intimidated by the lack of any notation of 'obstructed' views on the seat maps at Berlin especially.    

 

Also, please comment on how far in advance Zurich releases casting information?    Is it not advisable to wait for casting?  

 

Is the rake good in the 'orchestra' level for either Zurich or Berlin?   Or should short people always sit in balcony or rings?  

 

Thank you.

[alison]

I've moved Don Q Fan's comments on German theatres into the specific "German theatres" thread for ease of finding.  No comments on Zurich as yet?

 

 

[Angela]

At Stuttgart Ballet, after the debut of Swedish dancer Henrik Erikson as Siegfried tonight, director Tamas Detrich announced that he will be promoted from soloist to principal dancer next season. It was a nice debut, but I hope he can show in the rest of the season he really deserves this promotion which I find comes surprisingly early.

[Angela]

Hamburg Ballet, casting for Anna Karenina with guest ballerina Olga Smirnova:

Anna Karenina: Anna Laudere (26., 27.4.), Olga Smirnova (8., 10.5.)

Alexei Karenin: debuts for Matias Oberlin (26., 27.4.) and Christopher Evans (8., 10.5.)

Vronsky: Alexandr Trusch (26., 27.4.), Jacopo Bellussi ((8., 10.5.)

[Angela]

Ex-RB-dancer and Best Swan Ever Mr. Adam Cooper will continue to work at the Gärtnerplatztheater at Munich, next season he will direct "The Pirates of Penzance", also with his choreography

https://www.gaertnerplatztheater.de/de/produktionen/die-piraten-von-penzance.html?m=489

[NiniGabriel]

The program for Stuttgart Ballet's 2024/25 season will be announced on Friday, May 17, 2024.

 

(I just received the invitation for the evening before...)

[alison]

Wow.  Even later than the Royal Ballet's!

[Roberta]

1 hour ago, Angela said:

Ex-RB-dancer and Best Swan Ever Mr. Adam Cooper

 

Of The Leather Trousers.   I still dream of him in those.  🦢 *sigh*

[Angela]

Next season at Ballett on the Rhine, with new directors Bridget Breiner and Raphael Coumes-Marquet:

https://www.operamrhein.de/en/schedule/productions/#season-202425

somehow the choice buttons work only on the German website for me, so try this if it doesn't show season 2024/25:

https://www.operamrhein.de/spielplan/produktionen/#ballett/spielzeit-202425

 

Next season at Hannover Ballet

https://staatstheater-hannover.de/en_EN/premieren-24-25-staatsballett

[Angela]

The German Dance Prize 2024 goes to choreographer Sasha Waltz. Dieter Heitkamp, head of the dance department at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts for 22 years and an important German dance teacher, is honoured with a lifetime achievement award. “explore dance”, a network for the young audiences, is honoured for outstanding development in dance. The main award is endowed with €20,000, the awards for Dieter Heitkamp and explore dance are endowed with a grant of €5,000 each. The prize ceremony will take place on Saturday, 12 October 2024 with a Gala at the Aalto-Theater in Essen.

 

[Angela]

The honorable John Neumeier will say farewell with Heavy Metal: For his definitely last Hamburg Ballet Days he invited Birmingham Royal Ballet with the Black Sabbath Ballet. They'll be guesting at Hamburg in July.  If you can't get the Bolshoi, take Black Sabbath 🙂 

[FionaM]

Hardly comparable!

 

It’s a great poster and idea for BRB and Black Sabbath to collaborate.  I found the actual ballets (there are 3 separate acts) … to be fun but trite.  Think ‘high school musical’.  

[Angela]

Next season at Vienna State Ballet:

 

“Once again I want to do everything that I think is important for the Vienna State Ballet, for our audience and
for dance. Of course, we have to care for our heritage and traditions. They are our art form’s memory. But new
creations are its muscular heart. For me, the art of theatre and ballet always means opening up, going further,
studying our time and not simply celebrating what already exists. We also need to create new works that will
enable ballet to keep on living and form tomorrow’s memories. We have planned five world premieres, some of
them taking up a full evening. We are throwing a lasso into the future. That is our intention. We have faith in
this art form and in creating new works. And I am extremely curious about what else will be possible this season,
because you always move on from where you are now.”
Martin Schläpfer

Martin Schläpfer has planned four premieres for his last season as Director and Chief Choreographer of
the Vienna State Ballet: The Winter’s Tale and Pathétique at the Vienna State Opera, KaiserRequiem and
Kreationen at the Vienna Volksoper. Five choreographies by Martin Chaix, Alessandra Corti, Andreas
Heise, Martin Schläpfer and Louis Stiens will receive their world premieres, Christopher Wheeldon’s The
Winter’s Tale will be an important Austrian premiere, and Summerspace is the first work by Merce
Cunningham to be performed with the Vienna State Ballet at the Vienna State Opera.

In the Vienna State Opera’s repertoire Rudolf Nureyev’s Swan Lake, Martin Schläpfer’s Sleeping Beauty
and John Neumeier’s Lady of the Camellias are back. At the Vienna Volksoper Pierre Lacotte’s Coppélia
opens the ballet season and invites to visit with the whole family, as does Iolanta and the Nutcracker. The
multi-part programmes Shifting Symmetries (van Manen/Forsythe/Balanchine) at the State Opera and The
Moon wears a white shirt (Schläpfer/Armitage/Taylor) at the Volksoper present ballet of the 20th and 21st
centuries in all its fascinating variety. In June 2025, Mahler, live returns to the State Opera for two exclusive
performances – the programme with Hans van Manen’s video ballet Live and Martin Schläpfer’s first
creation for the Vienna State Ballet 4, which opened his directorship in 2020 and which is also available
on DVD.
In May 2025, a guest performance will take the Vienna State Ballet to Spain, where it will present Hans
van Manen’s Concertante and Martin Schläpfer’s 4 at the Teatro Real Madrid.
The 2024/2025 season will see continuity in the conductor’s roster: artists such as Christoph Altstaedt,
Paul Connelly, Alfred Eschwé, Christoph Koncz, Patrick Lange, Jean-Michaël Lavoie, Markus Lehtinen,
Robert Reimer, Matthew Rowe and Johannes Witt will return to the orchestra podiums of the Vienna State
Opera and Vienna Volksoper, while KaiserRequiem will bring an intensive collaboration with Omer Meir
Wellber.
In 2024/2025, the repertoire will be accompanied again by a varied supporting programme, including
introductory matinees, ballet workshops, dance podiums and the film series DANCE MOVIES. Members
of the Vienna State Ballet’s Circle of Friends will once again be able to gain special insights into the work
of the company with exclusive rehearsal visits, backstage and workshop tours, artist talks and much more.

 

BALLET: PREMIERES

 

THE WINTER’S TALE
19 November 2024
Venue Vienna State Opera
Music Joby Talbot
Choreography Christopher Wheeldon
Conductor Christoph Koncz / Johannes Witt
Vienna State Ballet
Orchestra & Stage Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

 

KAISERREQUIEM
25 January 2025
Venue Vienna Volksoper
Music Viktor Ullmann & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography & Director Andreas Heise
Conductor Omer Meir Wellber / Keren Kargalitsky
The Death / The Loudspeaker / Bass Josef Wagner
Emperor Overall Daniel Schmutzhard
Harlequin Seiyoung Kim
A Soldier / Tenor JunHo You
The Drummer / Alto Wallis Giunta
Bubikopf / Soprano Rebecca Nelsen
Vienna State Ballet
Choir of the Vienna Volksoper
Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper

 

PATHÉTIQUE
9 April 2025
Venue Vienna State Opera
DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15
Music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography George Balanchine
© The George Balanchine Trust
SUMMERSPACE
Music Morton Feldman
Choreography Merce Cunningham
© The Merce Cunningham Trust
Piano Joonas Ahonen & Johannes Piirto
PATHÉTIQUE (URAUFFÜHRUNG)
Music Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky & George Frideric Handel
Choreography Martin Schläpfer
Harpsichord Stephen Hopkins
Conductor Christoph Altstaedt / Jean-Michaël Lavoie

 

KREATIONEN
14 June 2025
Venue Vienna Volksoper
AEREA (WORLD PREMIERE)
Music Michael Gordon
Choreography Alessandra Corti
HIGH (WORLD PREMIERE)
Music Lisa Streich
Choreography Louis Stiens
M TO M (WORLD PREMIERE)
Music Max Bruch
Choreography Martin Chaix
Violin Benjamin Herzl
Conductor Jean-Michaël Lavoie
Vienna State Ballet
Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper

 

Season Booklet 2024/2025 here

[Angela]

Here is a short TV report from Swiss National TV about Cathy Marston's new creation "Atonement", the premiere was yesterday at Zurich Opera House. Ian McEwan was there, too! I hope the link works in other countries

https://www.srf.ch/kultur/buehne/opernhaus-zuerich-atonement-gelingt-der-bestseller-roman-auf-der-ballett-buehne

[Angela]

Some informations about John Neumeier’s very last creation for his Hamburg Ballet as director: The piece is called „Epilog“ and is the 173rd work in his oeuvre. He will create ”an intimate work with chamber music, with piano and vocals on stage. It is an rather abstract ballet of soft sounds and subtle movements that leaves room for personal reflections.” The music is by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss (“Four Last Songs”) and by Simon & Garfunkel.

 

Celebrated Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian will perform the “Four Last Songs” on stage, renowned French Schubert interpreter David Fray will play the piano and the multi-award-winning young pianist Emmanuel Christien will be his duo partner. Swiss designer Albert Kriemler creates the costumes, he has worked with Neumeier several times before. Hamburg Ballet's photographer and videographer Kiran West will be responsible for the film projections. I don't think that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel will perform live, but who knows.

The premiere is on 30th June

[Angela]

22 minutes ago, Angela said:

I hope the link works in other countries

 

It works in Germany, which is another country. Oh my!! 🤣🤣 🤣🤣

[Angela]

At Vienna State Ballet, Elena Bottaro was promoted to to Principal Dancer

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6S3LWVImNN/?img_index=1