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 Colorful
Staging of French Esprit and Spanish Passion
Presented to All of the Opera, Ballet and Orchestra Fans
Staging
that transcends the boundaries of opera and ballet -- taking
on the challenge of making this thrilling attempt are Nicolas
Musin, who is active in various countries as a new-generation
choreographer, Davide Pizzigoni, who has experience in architecture,
painting, costume design, interior design and stage direction,
and Marc Piollet, who has been appointed the next music director
of the Wiener Volksoper. The cast of singers includes Graciella
Araya, a native of Chile who sings in Western opera houses,
John Ken Nuzzo, who is an upcoming name, and Heinz Zednik,
a prominent figure in operatic circles. Together with these
singers, the distinctive actress Mikari and the New National
Theatre Ballet and Chorus will appear, delivering a brilliant
performance as if jewelry boxes were being opened one after
another.
Called the “magician of orchestration” and “alchemist
of sounds,” Ravel, who, together with Debussy, used
elaborate and colorful orchestration to establish modern impressionist
French music, had a special longing for and became especially
attached to Spain under the influences of his Basque mother.
However, the fact that many of his famous orchestral scores
are dramatic and original and were written for performing
arts is often forgotten. The forthcoming production will provide
the audience with a golden opportunity to discover the essential
charm of his music and the art form he aimed for.
L’Heure Espagnol
(premiered in 1911), presented in
French with Japanese subtitles
L’Heure Espagnol (The Spanish Hour) was the first opera
written by Ravel. It is a comedy full of French esprit, which
allows the audience to conjure up cheerful scenes in their
minds simply by listening to the music. The setting is a clockmaker’s
shop in the ancient city of Toledo. Concepción, the
young wife of Torquemada, receives the young would-be poet
Gonzalve to enjoy a secret love affair in her husband’s
absence. But when the muleteer Ramiro comes to the shop, she
rushes to hide her lover in a clock and makes Ramiro carry
it up to the bedroom. Then the banker Don Inigo Gomez appears
and, concealed in another clock, he is also carried up to
the bedroom while the first clock is brought down. Concepción
eventually admiringly orders the mighty Ramiro upstairs again…
Daphnis et Chloé
(premiered
in 1912)
Daphnis et Chloé (Daphnis and Chloe) was written at
the commission of Ballet Russe, a legendary ballet company
joined by Diaghilev, Fokine, Nijinsky and other distinguished
dancers. The subject is taken from an ancient Greek epic,
and in the plot, Daphnis, a young handsome shepherd, beats
Dorcon, a cowherd, and gets wedded to Chloe, who is then captured
by pirates. But she is returned to him by the intervention
of Pan, and people dance in great delight to congratulate
the lovers on their reunion. In the music, which depicts illusory
scenes, a chorus adds to the mystery of the ballet, making
it one of ballet’s outstanding scores, filled with festive
sentiments and a sense of dynamism. The forthcoming production
will be staged with a new choreography for Daphnis et Chloé,
Suite No. 2 arranged by Ravel.
Une Barque sur L’Océan
(from Miroirs, a set of piano pieces, which was first
performed in 1906)
Miroirs (Mirrors) is a set of piano pieces composed as descriptive
music that reflects the chosen subjects. Une Barque sur L’Océan
(A Boat on the Ocean) is the first piano piece of his own
composing that Ravel wrote for an orchestra and uses new and
original chords to depict a boat knocked about by waves and
wind upon the open ocean. In the forthcoming production, combinations
of performance without words and music will be attempted.
Bolèro (premiered
in 1928)
Bolèro is a bold piece of music that repeats the same
rhythm and melody and uses only orchestration and continuous
crescendo to generate overwhelming excitement in the minds
of listeners. One of the most popular scores by Ravel, Bolèro
was originally composed at the commission of the famous ballerina
Ida Rubinstein. Musin takes on the challenge of choreographing
one of the most prominent ballet scores in the 20th century,
which has been choreographed by Maurice Béjart among
others.
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