Triple Bill

Shades of Blue and White

Makarova / Forsythe / Scholz
Triple Bill

Shades of Blue and White

Makarova / Forsythe / Scholz
Musical Direction
Mikhail Agrest / Wolfgang Heinz; Staatsorchester Stuttgart
The Kingdom of the Shades
Choreography
Natalia Makarova, nach Marius Petipa
Music
Ludwig Minkus, arrangiert von John Lanchbery
Stage
Jadwiga Maria Jarosiewicz
Costume
Natalia Makarova, nach Theoni Aldredge; Yolanda Sonnabend, umgesetzt von Allan Watkins
Light
Liu Zhao
World Premiere
3. Juli 1974, American Ballet Theatre
Stuttgart Premiere
13. Oktober 2018
Blake Works I
Choreography
William Forsythe
Music
James Blake
Stage
William Forsythe
Light
Tanja Rühl, William Forsythe
Costume
Dorothee Merg, William Forsythe
World Premiere
4. Juli 2016, Ballet de l‘Opéra de Paris
Stuttgart Premiere
19. Juni 2021
Seventh Symphony
Choreography
Uwe Scholz
Music
Ludwig van Beethoven
Stage and Costume
Uwe Scholz, nach dem Bild „Beta Kappa“ von Morris Louis
World Premiere
26. April 1991, Stuttgarter Ballett
The triple bill SHADES OF BLUE AND WHITE showcases three very different facets of classical ballet. This choreographically as well as musically outstanding evening shows just how versatile the art form can be.

SHADES OF BLUE AND WHITE opens with "The Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère. In Natalia Makarova's world-famous version based on Marius Petipa's original choreography from 1877, a long line of dancers glides, one after the other, down a ramp before wafting across the stage in dreamlike unison. Surrounded by this heavenly corps de ballet, the spirit of the temple dancer Nikia dances with her lover, the warrior Solo, who, in attempt to drown his sorrow over her death, has smoked opium, resulting in his vision of the “shade” of his beloved. This magical scene is among the most exquisite that classical ballet has to offer.

The second work of the evening catapults the audience from the 19th century into the 21st. In 2016, William Forsythe, former resident choreographer of the Stuttgart Ballet and director of the legendary Ballett Frankfurt, created Blake Works I to the bluesy-jazzy music of singer-songwriter James Blake. As if he had distilled his vast knowledge of ballet into 30 breath-taking minutes, the piece encompasses all the facets which make Forsythe one of the most revered choreographers in the world today. The piece is a love-letter to classical ballet as only William Forsythe can write it: cool, nonchalant, hip, beautiful and brilliant. Needless to say, dancers love dancing it and audiences watching it.

The evening closes with a neo-classical work. In 1991, Uwe Scholz created his Seventh Symphony to Ludwig van Beethoven's eponymous composition for the Stuttgart Ballet. Whereas most choreographers shy away from this titan of classical music, Scholz boldly translated Beethoven’s majestic, rousing and exuberant music into dance. On stage, the structure and composition of the two works combine to create an exemplary symbiosis. Scholz's radiant, energetic and technically challenging choreography - seldom seen outside of Stuttgart but one of the most popular ballets in the Stuttgart Ballet repertoire- returns to the stage for the first time in almost a decade.
Kingdom of the Shades, from: La Bayadère
Chr.: Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Kingdom of the Shades, from: La Bayadère
Chr.: Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Elisa Badenes, Adhonay Soares da Silva
Photo Roman Novitzky
Kingdom of the Shades, from: La Bayadère
Chr.: Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Elisa Badenes, Adhonay Soares da Silva, Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Kingdom of the Shades, from: La Bayadère
Chr.: Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Kingdom of the Shades, from: La Bayadère
Chr.: Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Daiana Ruiz, Abigail Willson-Heisel, Veronika Verterich
Photo Roman Novitzky
Blake Works I
Chr.: William Forsythe
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Blake Works I
Chr.: William Forsythe
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Blake Works I
Chr.: William Forsythe
Rocio Aleman, David Moore
Photo Roman Novitzky
Blake Works I
Chr.: William Forsythe
Agnes Su, Adhonay Soares da Silva, Mackenzie Brown
Blake Works I
Chr.: William Forsythe
Elisa Badenes, Jason Reilly
Photo Roman Novitzky
Siebte Sinfonie
Chr.: Uwe Scholz
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Siebte Sinfonie
Chr.: Uwe Scholz
Agnes Su, Jason Reilly, Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky
Siebte Sinfonie
Chr.: Uwe Scholz
Miriam Kacerova, Martí Paixà
Photo Roman Novitzky
Siebte Sinfonie
Chr.: Uwe Scholz
Aoi Sawano, Vincent Travnicek
Photo Roman Novitzky
Siebte Sinfonie
Chr.: Uwe Scholz
Ensemble
Photo Roman Novitzky

Further productions this season

Double Bill

Novitzky / Dawson

Swan Lake

Ballet by John Cranko
Movie Premiere

CRANKO

Movie by Joachim A. Lang