Ballet by John Neumeier based on Anton Chekhov

The Seagull

Introduction at 5.15 pm

On a secluded country estate, people from multiple generations come together, each bringing different views on life and art. Many of them are artists or aspire to be artists, yet none of them are happy. The free-spirited life, detached from conventions, exists only as a symbol, embodied by a seagull that is shot without reason by one of the main characters. In his adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull", John Neumeier shifts the action from the world of literature to the world of dance. Instead of literary discussions, the characters express themselves through various dance styles. The young Kostja, searching for new forms of expression, uses the language of expressionist modern dance. His mother Arkadina looks back on an outstanding career as a prima ballerina and represents classical ballet. Nina, on the other hand, dreams of a great theater career, but her relationship with the successful choreographer Trigorin quickly falls apart, and in Moscow, she only manages to secure a job as a revue dancer. Despite these setbacks, Nina gains strength; through her own decisions, she escapes the emptiness of the provincial life she came from.

Neumeier focuses on the central conflict of the piece: the tension between art and love. The characters seek comfort in each other, but love offers no escape: it remains either mere convention or pure illusion. Chekhov’s "The Seagull" is rich in multi-layered dialogues and psychologically complex characters. Neumeier takes up this panorama and, through different forms of expression in his ballet, makes visible what often remains only implied in the drama. On the 50th anniversary of of Dmitri Shostakovich's 50th death, this poignant ballet returns to the Hamburg Ballet repertoire.

Music: Dmitri Shostakovich, Evelyn Glennie, Peter I. Tchaikovsky, Alexander Scriabin
Choreography, Set and Costumes: John Neumeier

2 hours 30 minutes | 1 intermission
Part 1: 60 minutes, Part 2: 60 minutes

PREMIERE:
The Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg, June 16, 2002

ORIGINAL CAST:
Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina: Anna Polikarpova
Konstantin (Kostya) Gavrilovich Triplev: Ivan Urban (for Jirí Bubenícek)
Piotr Nikolayevich Sorin: Lloyd Riggins
Boris Alexeyivich Trigorin: Otto Bubenícek
Nina Mikhailovna Zarechnaya: Heather Jurgensen
Yevgeny Sergeyivich Dorn:Sébastien Thill
Semyon Semyonovich Medvedenko: Peter Dingle
Ilya Afanasevich Shamrajev: Yaroslav Ivanenko
Polina Andreyevna: Niurka Moredo
Masha: Joëlle Boulogne

ON TOUR:
2018 Vienna

IN THE REPERTORY:
Finnish National Ballet
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre
The National Ballet of Canada