At the Arts Centre in Melbourne, The Australian Ballet presents Destiny, an electrifying double bill celebrating legendary Ballets Russes choreographer Leonide Massine, creator of the ‘symphonic ballet’ genre.
Set to musical masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Berlioz, Destiny features two of Massine’s best known works: Les Présages, a large-scale work from the 1930s, and a brand-new interpretation of Symphonie Fantastique from acclaimed choreographer Krzysztof Pastor.
A 1930s classic and a dynamic world premiere in tribute to legendary Russian choreographer Leonide Massine and his bold use of symphonic music for dance.
For the great part of the 20th century Massine was hailed as the ballet world’s leading choreographer. He was one of the first choreographers to dare to use existing symphonic music as a basis for dance, sparking controversy. Seen as cultural sacrilege in the 1930s, the then unusual marriage of the two art forms proved enduringly popular and made a lasting impression on the world of dance.
For Destiny, The Australian Ballet will be reviving Massine’s original version of Les Présages, not seen in Australia since 1955 when a version was performed by the Borovansky Ballet. First staged by the revolutionary Ballets Russes in 1933 in Monte Carlo, the work was performed over 100 times during the three Ballets Russes tours to Australia, making it one of the most popular and enduring works.
Les Présages, an allegory of the fight between good and evil, was Massine’s first symphonic ballet, choreographed to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and featuring groundbreaking set and costume designs by Andre Masson, one of the major early French Surrealist painters.
This production will be staged by international guest teacher and original Ballets Russes member Tatiana Leskova, who now resides in Rio de Janeiro, and The Australian Ballet’s Repetiteur Wendy Walker. Both former dancers worked with Massine throughout their memorable careers. Leskova arrives in Melbourne
late July following the company’s Japan tour.
Symphonie Fantastique, which premiered as a ballet in 1936, was another of Massine’s symphonic ballets. The Australian Ballet has commissioned inventive Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor to create a brand-new dance interpretation of Hector Berlioz’s score, influenced by the heady narrative of opium, obsession, black magic and death. This exciting new ballet will be designed by Tatyana van Walsum who has worked on many different projects in dance and opera in Europe.
Pastor and van Walsum are long term collaborators who carry on the spirit of the Ballets Russes legacy. Pastor, Resident Choreographer of the Dutch National Ballet since 2003, will arrive in Melbourne early August to begin working with the dancers. His choreography is intense and emotional. Van Walsum will visit The Australian Ballet’s Melbourne headquarters between 24 June and 7 July to oversee the design process.
The Australian Ballet has never performed Massine’s Symphonie Fantastique. Its first Australian performance was by Colonel de Basil’s Covent Garden Russian Ballet in Melbourne on 1 October 1938 with Irina Baranova as the Beloved. The ballet was a hit, with The Age at the time reporting it to be a “tremendous choreographic conception”.
Destiny follows on from recent tributes to Fokine, Kylián and Balanchine and is The Australian Ballet’s 2007 programming contribution to the four-year project Ballets Russes in Australia: Our Cultural Revolution, exploring the impact of the trailblazing Russian ballet companies whose Australian tours of the late 1930s had a dramatic impact on arts and culture in Australia.
Melbourne – on 30 August – 10 September 2007, at the Arts Centre, State Theatre, with Orchestra Victoria.
Sydney – on 7 – 26 November 2007, at Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. -- www.australianballet.com.au
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