Following the close of the Company’s fall season with its annual production of The Nutcracker, Boston Ballet returns for its final performances at the Citi Wang Theatre with its 2009 winter/spring season. The season commences with Jiří Kylián’s Black and White program, followed by Boston Ballet’s premiere of George Balanchine’s Jewels program, and the return of Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty. It concludes with a special Ballets Russes program, Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration.
“I could not be more proud of the exciting 2009 season we will share with Boston audiences. It is an honor to produce Balanchine’s Jewels, and it is a remarkable feat to have the opportunity to present a full evening of Kylián’s masterpiece work,” said Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director, Boston Ballet. “Our 2009 season is a noteworthy demonstration of the broad range of styles our Company excels in, and audiences will be exposed to a rare program line-up offering a rich history lesson of the art form and cutting-edge contemporary choreography, in addition to one of the great classical story ballets.”
Boston Ballet is the first company other than the Nederlands Dans Theatre to perform Jiří Kylián’s Black and White program. Falling Angels and Sarabande were lauded by critics in 2005 when they were given their Boston Ballet premiere. The five-ballet program is a U.S. premiere which includes Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze and No More Play.
Boston Ballet’s Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration pays tribute to the most influential impresario and company in the history of ballet. The program will feature works by Balanchine, Nijinsky, Fokine, and a world premiere by Jorma Elo, all highlighting the ground-breaking artistic contributions of this period. Ballets Russes 2009, an eight-day festival produced in association with Boston University, runs May 16 through May 23 throughout the city and will complement Boston Ballet’s program.
All performances are held at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Wang Theatre.
Black and White
February 12-15, 2009
No More Play – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Anton Webern
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Petite Mort – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Sarabande
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Falling Angels
Music: Steve Reich
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Sechs Tänze – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
The work of Jiří Kylián, one of Europe’s most fascinating and celebrated choreographers, returns to Boston Ballet with his Black and White program. Falling Angels, a mesmerizing study in motion and minimalism, and Sarabande, a powerful display for six men, gave audiences a glimpse of Kylián’s unique and potent vision when presented here in 2005. Boston Ballet is the first company other than the Nederlands Dans Theatre to perform the program. This five-ballet program also includes Petite Mort, which incorporates artistic swordplay set to Mozart, Sechs Tänze and No More Play. Playing with space, shape and contrast, Kylián’s work challenges, enlightens and moves. The Boston Globe raved, saying “‘dazzling’ doesn’t do justice to the program Boston Ballet performed last night” when Kylián’s works were last performed.
Kylián was born in Prague, Czech Republic. He trained at the Prague Conservatory and at the Royal Ballet School, London. He began his choreographic career with Stuttgart Ballet (1970) before moving to the Nederlans Dans Theatre (NDT), where he became director in 1978. His many works include Sinfonietta, with music by Janáček (1979), the all-male Soldiers' Mass (1980), L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (1984), and three based on Aboriginal culture: Nomads (1981), Stamping Ground (1982), and Dreamtime (1983). Through the years, Kylián has moved away from lyrical works to abstract and often surrealistic ballets such as No More Play (1988), Falling Angels (1989), Sweet Dreams (1990), Sarabande (1990), and Petite Mort (1991). In April 1995, Kylián celebrated 20 years with NDT by mounting a large-scale dance production, Arcimbaldo. On that occasion, he received one of the Netherlands’ highest honors, becoming Officer in de Orde van Oranje Nassau. In 1997, Kylián won the Edinburgh Festival Critics' Award and received an honorary doctorate at The Juilliard School in New York. Kylián also received the Benois de la Danse award in 1998 and the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance among many other awards and honors. Kylián is currently resident choreographer and artistic advisor of NDT and artistic advisor of the Saitama Arts Foundation in Japan.
Jewels – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
February 26-March 8, 2009
Music: Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine
A ballet in three parts, George Balanchine’s Jewels premiered at New York City Ballet in 1967. Jewels presents a miniature history of classical dance, with references to ballet’s French origins, Russia’s imperial style, and Balanchine’s own take on the art form. Each act is distinct in both music and style. Critically acclaimed since it premiered, Jewels has been called “the world’s first plotless, full-length ballet.” Jewels was inspired by a visit to jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. “Emeralds” recalls the elegance and luxury of 19th century France and is set to music from Gabriel Fauré’s Pelléas et Melisande and Shylock. “Rubies,” an athletic and jazzy ballet, is set to Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and “Diamonds” is set to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 3 in D Major, Op.29, evoking Russia’s imperial style through its classical choreography.
The Sleeping Beauty
April 23-May 3, 2009
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Additional Choreography: Sir Frederick Ashton
Production: Ninette de Valois (after Nicholas Sergeyev’s 1939 production)
Set and Costume Design: David Walker
The Sleeping Beauty is derived from the “Mother Goose” tale by Charles Perrault. It’s the magical fairytale of good, evil, true love, and a spellbound princess who sleeps for 100 years and is awakened by the kiss of a handsome prince. Nissinen introduced this version of the ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, in 2005. He has re-united David Walker’s sets and costumes with this version of the ballet, which originated with The Royal Ballet. When Boston Ballet premiered this version of The Sleeping Beauty in 2005, The Boston Globe raved, “The Sleeping Beauty is the greatest challenge in the classical repertory. Boston Ballet met and conquered that challenge last night, in the most luminous performance of “Beauty” I've seen the company give in its 41-year history.”
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration
May 14-17, 2009
The Prodigal Son
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography: George Balanchine
The Afternoon of a Faun – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Claude Debussy
Choreography: Vaslav Nijinsky
Le Spectre de la Rose – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Carl Maria von Weber
Choreography: Michel Fokine
Le Sacre du Printemps – WORLD PREMIERE
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Choreography: Jorma Elo
Boston Ballet’s Ballets Russes is a retrospective program paying tribute to the centenary of Serge Diaghilev. Ballets Russes 2009, an eight-day festival produced in association with Boston University, runs May 16 through May 23 throughout the city and will complement Boston Ballet’s program.
Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes became known as one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th Century. It was known not only for the exquisite technique of its dancers, but also because of its ground-breaking artistic collaborations among choreographers, composers, and artists.
Balanchine choreographed The Prodigal Son, one of his few narrative ballets, for Ballets Russes in 1928. It is based on the Biblical tale of the rebellious son who leaves his father’s home to find adventure in the wider world, only to return after experiencing the cruelties of humankind. The ballet features powerful dancing and highly dramatic lead roles. It maintains the central theme of the parable, with dancing reminiscent of the Russian tradition. The Prodigal Son conveys the moral of the parable in the Gospel of St. Luke and emphasizes the themes of sin and redemption. The Prodigal Son was one of the first Balanchine ballets to achieve international recognition.
The Afternoon of a Faun was choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballets Russes and was first performed in 1912. The ballet was inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem, “L’après-midi d’un faune.” The ballet was originally staged to depict the dancers as part of a large tableau and often featured the dancers moving across the stage in profile. Le Spectre de la Rose, choreographed by Fokine, was first presented in 1911. It tells the story of a young girl, who returning from her first ball, falls asleep and dreams that the rose she holds in her hand is dancing with her. The ballet was given its U.S. premiere in 1916 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo will premiere a new work, his sixth for Boston Ballet, set to Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps. The score is rhythmic and inspired by primitive pagan rituals. Upon its premiere, the work was controversial, shocking audiences that were accustomed to classical ballet. Many choreographers have created works to the score, including Pina Bausch, Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Maurice Béjart.
Ballets Russes 2009
Ballets Russes 2009 will feature performances by Boston Ballet and the Boston Pops, a festival of dance films at the Museum of Fine Arts and an exhibition of stage designs and actual costumes at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. Boston University will host a major three-day academic conference on the Ballets Russes and an exhibition of related posters and memorabilia. Ballets Russes 2009 is produced in association with Boston University.
Boston Ballet Spring Season at a Glance
Black and White – U.S. PREMIERE
February 12-15, 2009
No More Play – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Anton Webern
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Petite Mort – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Sarabande
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Falling Angels
Music: Steve Reich
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Sechs Tänze – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Choreography: Jiří Kylián
Jewels – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
February 26-March 8, 2009
Music: Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine
The Sleeping Beauty
April 23-May 3, 2009
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Additional Choreography: Sir Frederick Ashton
Production: Ninette de Valois (after Nicholas Sergeyev’s 1939 production)
Set and Costume Design: David Walker
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration
May 14 – May 17, 2009
The Prodigal Son
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography: George Balanchine
The Afternoon of a Faun – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Claude Debussy
Choreography: Vaslav Nijinsky
Le Spectre de la Rose – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Carl Maria von Weber
Choreography: Michel Fokine
Le Sacre du Printemps – WORLD PREMIERE
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Choreography: Jorma Elo
Tickets
Tickets for season ballets can be purchased by phone at 866.348.9738, online at www.citicenter.org, or in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM box office, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston's Theatre District, open Monday - Saturday from 10am - 6pm. Prices for season ballets start at $25. Discounted group tickets (10 or more) are available by calling Boston Ballet's Group Sales at 617.456.6343. Rush tickets are available. Contact the Boston Ballet box office at 617.695.6955.
