The Stuttgart Ballet’s founder John Cranko would have turned 100 years old in 2027. While the choreographer gained acclaim for his narrative full-length ballets, his lesser-known abstract works evoke equally powerful emotions. To express our deep love and gratitude for John Cranko and demonstrate the profound influence of his work, the Stuttgart Ballet presents four of Cranko’s non-narrative ballets on the Opera House stage.

Initials R.B.M.E. was Cranko’s tribute to his dancers, key figures of his legacy; each of the four movements of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto is dedicated to a dancer from the original cast: Richard Cragun, Birgit Keil, Marcia Haydée, and Egon Madsen. The ballet highlights the unique qualities of each dancer, while also celebrating their mutual friendship. Cranko’s presence is palpable, as though he stands in the wings, whispering: “Remember me!”

Legends was Cranko’s tribute to Galina Ulanova, the great Russian ballerina. This seven-minute pas deux was first danced by Marcia Haydée and Richard Cragun and demonstrates Cranko’s fascination with the groud-breaking Russian partnering of the time.

Opus 1 captures the mood of Anton von Webern’s dramatic Passacaglia in visual form. It represents an entire life in 11 minutes, depicting humanity, loneliness, and helplessness in a gripping cycle of life and death.

Poème de l’extase tells a story of love, fantasy, and the passage of time. An ageing diva meets a young lover and looks over her life, having lived it to the fullest. As though from within a Gustav Klimt painting, her memories and encounters swirl and blend. The mood evokes the Art Nouveau style of the Belle Epoque – a past re-awakened, just as the former lovers in Cranko’s ballet stir the woman’s memories to life.