Running time: 3 hours


Schedule for John Neumeier's Gala Tribute to Diaghilev. Hamburg Ballet Company. 2022

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Choreography: Michel Fokine
Choreography: Vaslav Nijinsky
Choreography: John Neumeier

Orchestra: Symphony Orchestra "Congress"

During his artistic career as a ballet choreographer John Neumeier — a well known adept of the Russian ballet — often turned to the most important ballets of the beginning of the XX century and created his own versions. Neumeier also carefully studied the history of the Russian ballet, particularly the work of Vaslav Nijinsky and the epoch in which Nijinsky lived.
The great choreographer eagerly supported the idea of creating in Saint-Petersburg the «Diaghilev. P.S.» festival and agreed to become a member of its Honorary Committee.

These ballets and fragments from ballets by John Neumeier have never been performed in Russia before.

Programme:

Act 1

Vaslav

The ballet is dedicated to the fascinating life and work of Vaslav Nijinsky. "Vaslav" is one of John Neumeier's first ballets, and helped to bring fame to the great choreographer.

Music by Johann Sebastian Bach is played in the performance by pianist Vladimir Mischuk.

The world premiere of the ballet took place in Hamburg at the Nijinsky Gala in July 1979.

Act II

Le Sacre

The French word sacre, meaning rite in English, refers here to the ancient ritual of sacrifice. The premiere of the ballet "The Rite of Spring," originally entitled "The Great Sacrifice: Pictures from Pagan Rus," took place on May 29, 1913 as part of the Russian Seasons.

Music by Igor Stravinsky.

The original idea for the ballet came to Stravinsky in his sleep, when he dreamt about an ancient ritual in which a young girl surrounded by village elders dances and dances until she collapses and dies in order to bring forth the onset of spring.

The artist Nikolai Roerich and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky also worked on the ballet. One member of the audience wrote of the 1913 premiere in Paris:

"It seemed as though the theatre was being shaken by an earthquake. People were shouting insults at the stage, whistling and booing, drowning out the music. People were fighting in the aisles... the ballet itself was astoundingly good."

"The Rite of Spring" was one of Diaghilev's favorite ballets. He wrote: "Now that is a true victory! Let them boo and have hysterics! Inwardly, they can already feel its value... You will see what happens next."

Since Diaghilev, many outstanding choreographers have turned their hand to "The Rite of Spring," including Pina Bausch and Maurice Bejart.

The premiere of John Neimeier's staging of the ballet took place in Frankfurt in November 1972.

Act III

Le Pavillon d'Armide

A magical story about a young man who dreams that he is in the fantasy world of the temptress and enchantress Armide. Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky dazzled audiences when the ballet was performed by Diaghilev's troupe to choreography by Michel Fokine in 1909. The premiere of John Neumeier's staging of "Le Pavillon d'Armide" took place in June 2009, and Russia is the first country in which audiences will see this ballet as part of a festival.

Music by Nikolai Tcherepnin