Photo: K. Mystkowski.
Izadora Weiss revisits Shakespeare with a new adaptation of The Tempest that brigs together music of Gustav Mahler and dance by the phenomenal Baltic Dance Theatre. For Weiss the most important is the relation between music and dance, which she perceives as the condition of theatre’s existence and the foundation of choreography. She still subscribes to the belief that art’s primary task is to speak of human beings, their passions, tragedies, and heroic moral choices. The Tempest is only loosely connected with the original’s time and place of action but stays true to the overriding message of the drama, presenting an artist in possession of great power over people who overcomes his egoism for the love of his daughter and a sense of justice. The piece is set to Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. The finale draws on Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 and is a call to renounce the fear of death in the face of a fulfilled life.
In her own words, in The Tempest Izadora Weiss is telling “a story of somebody who is running away from the whole world, feeling more and more trapped. (?) This escape requires courage: you need to be brave to face loneliness. The decision to reject vibrant social life because the society is forcing you to accept various compromises is very difficult and responsible. I see Prospero as the quintessential lonely artist. On the other hand, he is able to overcome his egoism for the love of his daughter and the sense of justice”.
Premiere: 24 May, 7 pm
Next performances: 26 and 27 May and 11?14 June, 7 pm
The Tempest
according to William Shakespeare
music: Gustav Mahler
libretto, production and chorography: Izadora Weiss
set design: Hanna Szymczak
listing: Piotr Miszkiewicz
sound effects: Marcin Dąbrowski
assistant choreographers: Elżbieta Czajkowska-Kłos, Bartosz Kondracki, Filip Michalak
stage manager: Piotr Borrow
Tickets and bookings:
tel: 58 350 06 15
