Unleashing the Wolf ©Gert Weigelt
This evening, Friday April 21, RhineBuzz are going to the ballet to enjoy the next piece in Martin Schläpfer's series for the Ballett am Rhein, b.08. I was at the premiere as an Opera Scout recently, my impressions of the evening are here -
I loved the evening of b.08 immensely even though not all pieces were not all to my taste.
No doubt about it, I'm a huge Schläpfer fan; he takes risks, his dancers are beyond this world in terms of strength, dedication and grace. I am simply in awe of them and the atmosphere Schläpfer creates on stage time and time again.
Having said that, the first piece of the evening "Streichquartett" I did not really like!
The music for me was a little uncomfortable.
There were tones in the composition by Lutostawski that I found simply painful and this sadly distracted me from the wonderful, almost flying moves, of the dancers.
The next two pieces from Hans van Manen were wonderful. "Solo" especially had the audience gasping in their seats. The dynamic of the dancers was extraordinary, complex and yet minimalist. The speed at which they danced must be seen to be believed. Astounding and perfect in every way.
Next: "Unleashing the Wolf".
When the curtain went up, for a tiny moment there was, a slight all be it misplaced, applause. The set is so breathtaking, so unlike whatever you might expect ... even though these days I think we, the Schläpfer audience, can no longer anticipate what to even vaguely expect.
This piece by Schläpfer, with intermezzi by Regina van Berkel, who brought us the incredible “Frozen Echo”, was dramatic, a true feast for the eyes in terms of costume, lights and set and the music, and the sounds Paul Pavey made live on stage above the dancers, were just amazing. I sat and wondered how did they rehearse this? The beats, sounds and turns seemed to have no pattern at times.
Often the stage was full of moving beings, I love this about Schläpfer’s work, not knowing where to look. What to expect. You have to work at it all the time and yet you can also let yourself go and disappear into the world he has created even if you have no idea what that actually is.
Unleashing the Wolf ©Gert Weigelt
But one thing was very strange. As wonderful as the piece was it was also incredibly long. If something is so good, you would want it to go on for ever, but not with this. I just wanted it to be finished, to be perfect. I’m puzzled as to why this was not the case and am keen to see how I find it again when I visit with the RhineBuzz group.
I sense I will enjoy "Unleashing the Wolf" more because I am prepared for the length of it. I am really looking forward to it in the oddest way. That says it all really.
B.08 runs until June 18 in Düsseldorf, please check here for dates
