Fot. Gosia Żuk.
On Saturday, 7 November (7 pm), the Baltic Dance Theatre will present the premiere of Izadora Weiss?s Phaedra at the Baltic Opera (ul. Zwycięstwa 15). Phaedra is a tale of the tragic love between a stepmother and her stepson. Turning to dance, Izadora Weiss transforms Jean Racine?s tragedy ? a masterpiece of French literature ? into a piece about impossible love, sense of guilt and helplessness to the passions which emerge from inconceivable sources, about lies and death, which seems the only way out from the cursed entrapment. Phaedra is also an aesthetically sophisticated story of relentless hierarchy in art and life, one which brings about injustice yet at the same time propels our struggle with weaknesses and fears.
The presentations of Phaedra will be accompanied by repeat performances of the company?s previous project ? Izadora Weiss?s The Tempest. 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 against the backdrop of sophisticated stage design and incidental music. 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.
Subsequent presentations of the two pieces will take place on 8 November (5pm), 10 November (7 pm), and 4-5 December (7 pm).
Phaedra
Music: Gustav Mahler
Libretto, direction and choreography: Izadora Weiss
Costumes: Hanna Szymczak
Assistant choreographers: Elżbieta Czajkowska-Kłos, Filip Michalak, Bartosz Kondracki
Premiere: 7 November 2015
On 26 November, the piece will be presented at The Place in London.
The Tempest
music: Gustav Mahler
libretto, direction, choreography: Izadora Weiss
costumes: Hanna Szymczak
assistant choreographers: Elżbieta Czajkowska-Kłos, Bartosz Kondracki, Filip Michalak
premiere: 7 November 2015
On 26 November, the piece will be presented at The Place in London.
