Scottish Ballet Spring Season 2007
The programme
Peter Darrell Choreographic Award Night
 |
 |
Scottish Ballet's Spring Season begins on 11 April in Glasgow's Theatre Royal. The vibrant programme draws on an eclectic mix of artforms and includes the work of playwright William Shakespeare in Peter Darrell's Othello, contemporary visual artist Stephen Chambers and the cinematography of David Lynch in Ashley Page's atmospheric Room of Cooks. |
Igor Stravinsky's music will be featured in George Balanchine's 'Agon' which is now in it's 50th year, and Krzysztof Pastor's 'In Light and Shadow' incorporates the dramatic lighting effects celebrated by Michaelangelo and the artists of the Baroque period.
Also being celebrated this season is a first-time arts sponsorship for VisitScotland in an exciting partnership between Scotland's national dance company and the national tourism organisation.
The Spring Season will tour to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and in each city, a number of first-time performances from the company's current repertoire will be offered.
Agon
Created in 1957, Agon is the third of three 'Greek' ballets by Stravinsky and Balanchine. 50 years on, the austere yet rich treasures contained within both dance and music still resonate and astonish with a modernist power, resulting in an explosive showcase of dance. Many audiences will have their first chance to see this masterpiece, as it was performed only at last year's Edinburgh International Festival and as part of the Autumn Season 2006 at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.
Othello
Peter Darrell's acclaimed Othello was last performed by Scottish Ballet in 1992 and is being reintroduced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Darrell's death. Peter Darrell was the founder of Scottish Ballet and was an innovative and often controversial choreographer. His retelling of the classic tale of passion and betrayal remains a tense and emotional dance drama, set to the ferocious harmonies of Liszt's Faust Symphony.
Room of Cooks
Room of Cooks is the work of Scottish Ballet's current Artistic Director, Ashley Page, whose passion for challenging the language and boundaries of classical dance is explored in this work, which will be performed for the very first time in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh this season. Room of Cooks is a dark, brooding piece for two men and two women and the intensely sexual tone of the piece is accentuated by a sense of foreboding, augmented by Orlando Gough's atmospheric score.
In Light and Shadow
| In Light and Shadow premiered in the UK at last year's Edinburgh International Festival and was a hit with both audiences and critics. It was inspired by a range of Baroque dances, and painters including Michaelangelo, Vermeer and Rembrandt, and explores the interplay of light and shadow and juxtaposing contemporary lines with the rich music of Bach. It begins with a delicate duet to the aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations before opening out into a rich tapestry of solos, duets and ensemble work set to Bach's Third Orchestral Suite. |
|
 |
On Friday 13 April, as part of the Peter Darrell Choreographic Award night, Scottish Ballet's Diana Loosmore will present Chasing Ghosts, her second choreographic work for the company. Chasing Ghosts is a fascinating study of human relationships, hypnotic, luminous and spectral with stunning lighting and costumes galvanising the piece with a ghostly metallic shimmer. This piece will be performed only in Glasgow on 13 April.
A second piece which will be performed only on this date is Sorry for the Missiles, choreographed by Vanessa Haska, which will be performed by Scottish Dance Theatre.
Diana Loosmore and Vanessa Haska were this year's recipients of the Peter Darrell Choreographic Award which offers new choreographers the chance to develop their choreographic skills within the context of a full time professional dance company.
|
The dates for the Spring Season are:
11-14 April, 7.30pm, Theatre Royal, Glasgow
18-21 April, 7.30pm, Edinburgh Festival Theatre
26-28 April, 7.30pm, His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen |
For more information about the performances taking place in each of these venues, and to find out how to book, please visit the Scottish Ballet website. |