Serata Preljocaj
Serata Preljocaj, a triple-bill ballet evening choreographed by the renowned Angelin Preljocaj, will delight audiences this season at Rome's Teatro Nazionale. The Frenchman's choreography is widely recognised as forward-thinking and modern, notwithstanding his deep appreciation for and study of classical ballet. Indeed, Preljocaj's style is decidedly contemporary and, over the course of a career spanning decades, he has delivered many bold visions and more than a few surprises along the way. Serata Preljocaj is a ballet event that has been performed for several years and consists of a selection of ballets, with the chosen pieces changing over time. This season’s fresh programme begins with La Stravaganza, featuring music by Antonio Vivaldi, Evelyn Ficarra, Robert Normandeau and Åke Parmerud. Annonciation, with music by Vivaldi once more, plus a Stéphane Roy composition, comes next. The final part is set to music by Igor Stravinsky and is entitled Noces.
The opening dance of the balletic spectacle, La Stravaganza, alternates between extracts drawn from Vivaldi's baroque-era music and much more contemporary works, hurling the dancers into the modern age. Its premiere took place on 22 May 1997 at the New York State Theater. The ballet was Preljocaj's first work for the New York City Ballet, successfully blending fantasy and reality, aspects of his choreography that Preljocaj has subsequently become synonymous with.
Annonciation is, perhaps, the most well-known of the three pieces. In it, Preljocaj has choreographed his interpretation of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary when, in Christian faith, it was revealed to her that she is pregnant. A dance that is principally choreographed for two female leads, the ballet has a noticeably sensual tone and it was found by some to be shocking when it debuted in 1997. It went on to earn that year's prestigious Bessie Award and is now considered to be something of a classic of modern ballet. The musical backing for the dance is dynamic and draws on multiple traditions, bringing together Vivaldi's Magnificat in g-minor with the modern rhythms of the Canadian composer Stéphane Roy, using his pulsating Crystal Music to full effect.
The final piece, Noces, is a 1989 creation. Choreographed for ten dancers, this ballet is Preljocaj's reimagining of Les Noces, Stravinsky's ballet about a Russian peasant wedding which was first performed on 13 June 1923 at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris by the famous Ballets Russes company. Preljocaj changes the story to focus on the drama of the moment, having once said that weddings have always seemed like strange tragedies to him rather than times of pure celebration.
Serata Preljocaj at Teatro Nazionale features the corps de ballet of the highly distinguished Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, with the skilled cast performing to recorded versions of the music.