4 replies to this topic

[fadedhour]

The 2007-08 season has been posted on the Hamburg Ballet's web site, along with this note from John Neumeier:

Dear Friends of the Ballet,

The first premiere of the 2007/2008 season will continue my series of ballets choreographed on religious music and themes. Following "Saint Matthew Passion", "Magnificat", "Messiah", and "Requiem", the premiere of "The Christmas Oratorio" (working title), to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, will take place exactly on time for Christmas! As stage designer Ferdinand Wögerbauer, who has in the past worked with me on Handel's "Messiah", will return to design the set. As with the other sacred works, my intention is not to illustrate the biblical story, but rather, to deal choreographically with the emotions intrinsic to the music and theme, creating, from today's point of view, my subjective vision in movement of the human situations expressed in Bach's music.

In June, we will present an evening centered around a new version of my 1977 ballet "Legend of Joseph" based on the original libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Harry Count Kessler. The ballet recounts the biblical story of Joseph's attempted seduction by Potiphar's wife and his relation to a protecting, inspiring Angel, moving him towards the realization of his own spiritual mission. Commissioned by Serge de Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes, the music was composed by Richard Strauss in 1914. Vaslav Nijinsky was originally intended to choreograph and dance the title role. More then 25 years after the premiere of my version of the ballet in Vienna on February 11, 1977, I will reconsider this theme, and rework my own choreography. The second ballet completing this evening has not yet been chosen – there are many possibilities!

I wish you many exciting evenings with us for next season!

Here are the ballets they will perform: http://www.hamburgba...lplan_07_08.htm
The calendar of performances is here: http://www.hamburgba...ender_07_08.htm

Here's the full schedule, copied from their web site:


Premieres

Christmas Oratorio (working title)
December 23 | 26 | 30, 2007
January 1 | 6 | 13; July 12, 2008
  
The Legende of Joseph/N.N.
June 29, 2008
July 1 | 11, 2008


Revivals

The Seagull
October 26 | 27 | 28 (2x); November 8 | 10, 2007
July 4, 2008

Othello – Performance at the Kampnagel, Hamburg
February 28 | 29, 2008
March 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6, 2008


Repertory

The Little Mermaid
September 5 | 8 | 16 | 30 (2x), 2007
November 11 (2x) | 13, 2007; July 2, 2008
2 hours 30 min. - 1 intermission

Songs of the Night
September 13 | 14; October 18 | 20, 2007

Death in Venice
November 1 | 2, 2007
February 4; May 2 | 28; July 3, 2008

The Nutcracker
November 16 | 17 | 22 | 24, 2007
January 3 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 12, 2008

A Cinderella Story
January 25 | 26; February 14, 2008
June 7 | 12 | 13; July 10, 2008

Jewels – Choreography: George Balanchine
February 7 | 8 | 11 | 17 (2x) | 19 | 20, 2008
July 5, 2008

Saint Matthew Passion
March 8 | 11 | 14 | 15, 2008

Parzival – Episodes and Echo
May 1 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 27 | 30 | 31, 2008
July 6, 2008


Extras

Nijinsky Gala XXXIV
July 13, 2008
2 intermissions

Guest Company
N.N.
July 8 | 9, 2008

Workshops
September 16; October 21, 2007
January 13; February 24; June 15, 2008

Performance of the theater class and dancers of The Hamburg Ballet with the National Youth Orchestra
January 17, 2008

First Steps
The School of The Hamburg Ballet's performance
June 10 | 30, 2008

Hamburg Theaters' Night
Hamburgische Staatsoper
September 8, 2007



The season does look interesting, but I'm a bit concerned that there will be no performances of Nijinsky.  I would love to see it again and I really hope they bring it back for the following season.

[Legwarmer]

Not having been to this board for quite a while, I now overcome my fear of being "not good enough" for it and here is my first post:

What a pity the repertoire won't include "Lady of the Camellias". This is such a beautiful ballet, and Marcia Haydée was the first to dance with with the Hamburg Ballet, ... *sigh* ... how could they drop it?

Or am I not informed well enough? Is this season just a Lady-break? I know fairly little about this ballet, or this company, but having seen a Pas De Deux in "Malakhov and Friends Gala 2007" in Berlin, danced by two Hamburg company members (Joelle and Alexandre, I am sorry to say I forgot their last names), I'd soo much love to see the ballet. Hamburg is not too far away from where I live, so...

[fadedhour]

Hello, Legwarmer!  Don't worry about being not good enough--I'm sure we're all interested in your opinions here

From what I can tell, Lady of the Camellias is regarded as one of John Neumeier's classic works, and one for which the company is most well-known (though the Stuttgart Ballet premiered it).

Lady of the Camellias premiered in 1978.  Then it was revived--in 2001, I believe.  My guess is it will return in a few years, but who knows?  It had a decent revival--five seasons, anyway.

Other companies have performed this ballet recently.  The Paris Opera Ballet will perform it next season.  Also, there is a DVD of the ballet now (with Marcia Haydée) that's quite lovely.  I've only seen that, and not the actual ballet--though I'd love to someday!

It looks like the dancers you saw at the gala were Joëlle Boulogne and Alexandre Riabko (my favorite dancer in the company).  It must have been great to see them dance the pas de deux!  They've frequently danced the roles of Marguerite and Armand together in the past.

Anyway, the company will be performing some interesting ballets next season--please let us know what you think if you go to some!

[bart]

Please keep posting, legwarmer.   Many of us are here to learn from people who have seen ballets or performances we have not seen, and to encounter ideas that we may not have thought about before.  

fadedhour, on Apr 24 2007, 10:31 AM, said:

[T]he premiere of "The Christmas Oratorio" (working title), to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, will take place exactly on time for Christmas!  [ ... ]  As with the other sacred works, my intention is not to illustrate the biblical story, but rather, to deal choreographically with the emotions intrinsic to the music and theme, creating, from today's point of view, my subjective vision in movement of the human situations expressed in Bach's music.

   Given the familiarity and literalness of the biblical texts, this seems like quite a challenge.  

Has anyone seen any of his version of The Messiah or any of the other "religious" works mentioned in Neumeier's letter?

[volcanohunter]

bart, on Aug 11 2007, 09:57 PM, said:

Has anyone seen any of his version of The Messiah or any of the other "religious" works mentioned in Neumeier's letter?

I have seen his St. Matthew Passion and found it to be extremely beautiful and deeply moving. The impression you get is that the dancers, united by a singular sense of purpose, have come together to act out a Passion play (so the fact that Neumeier used to dance the part of Jesus didn't seem egomaniacal). Nobody shows off, principal dancers seem willing to perform secondary roles without hesitation and everything about the performance rings completely true.