On March 7, 2013, Boston Ballet will premiere three powerful works by world-renowned contemporary choreographer, Jiří Kylián. The program, titled All Kylián, will feature Wings of Wax, Tar and Feathers, and Symphony of Psalms. Boston Ballet is the first-ever American company to present these ballets. Performances run from March 7 - 17, 2013 at The Boston Opera House.
"Jiří Kylián is truly a living legend," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "His groundbreaking work has repeatedly stretched and revolutionized contemporary dance. This program illustrates why."
All Kylián opens with Wings of Wax which Nederlands Dans Theater premiered in 1997. This piece takes the audience on a perplexing yet entrancing journey. Wings of Wax features an enormous, bare tree suspended over the stage. Eight dancers in black continue to appear and disappear on a dramatically lit stage, creating an esoteric atmosphere throughout the ballet. The hauntingly beautiful score is a combination of selections by musical giants Philip Glass, Heinrich von Biber, John Cage, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
The program continues with Tar and Feathers, an avant-garde and thought provoking experience set to W.A. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9. The grand refrains of Mozart's concerto are layered with the music of Japanese pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama, the only pianist in the world to accompany this work. Mukaiyama improvises her compositions on stage, playing from a grand piano elevated on 10 foot stilts. Above the complex aural textures, the voice of Jiří Kylián himself is heard sporadically throughout the piece reciting Samuel Beckett's poem, What is the Word. The choreography exhibits sharp movements by the dancers that lead to breathtaking moments on stage.
All Kylián closes with Symphony of Psalms, a transcendent piece choreographed in 1978 for Nederlands Dans Theater. This iconic Kylián work is set to a choral masterpiece by Igor Stravinsky that will be performed live by Boston Ballet Orchestra, and the 58 vocalists of New World Chorale. Igor Stravinsky composed Symphonie de Psaumes; A la Gloire de Dieu for the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930, when Serge Koussevitzky requested a commissioned work to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
The backdrop for Symphony of Psalms is an intricate mosaic of Persian tapestries in elegant contrast to the neutral costumes worn by the dancers. While discussing Symphony of Psalms Kylián stated, "In this work we were able to create a certain kind of "spiritual architecture" filled with physicality, and a certain degree of faith."
Dancer and choreographer Jiří Kylián was born in Prague, Czech Republic in 1947. These three works expand Boston Ballet's Kylián repertoire that currently includes Bella Figura, and the five-ballet Black and White. Boston Ballet is the only company outside of Nederlands Dance Theater to be granted Black and White, which was met with rave reviews when it was last presented in 2010. Since joining the organization in 2001, Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has been committed to cultivating contemporary repertoire, including the work of Jiří Kylián.
All performances of All Kylián are held at The Boston Opera House:
All Kylián
March 7 - 17, 2013
Wings of Wax
Music
Heinrich von Biber: Passacaglia for solo violin (1676)
John Cage: Prelude for Meditation for prepared piano (1946/48)
Philip Glass: Movement III from String Quartet no. 5 (1991)
Johann Sebastian Bach: Variation no. 25, Adagio, in g-minor, (arranged for string trio by Dimitri Sitkovetsky) from Goldberg Variationen, BWV 988 (1742)
World Premiere: January 23, 1997, Lucent Danstheater, Den Haag, NL, Nederlands Dans Theater
Tar and Feathers
Music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano concerto no. 9 (K 271) in E flat major 'le Jeunehomme' (1777): Part 2 Andantino
Samuel Beckett: What is the Word (1989)
Dirk Haubrich, additional composition
Tomoko Mukaiyama, live improvisations
World Premiere: March 9, 2006, Lucent Danstheater, Den Haag, NL, Nederlands Dans Theater
Symphony of Psalms
Music
Igor Stravinsky : Symphonie de Psaumes; A la Gloire de Dieu
World Premiere: November 24, 1978, Circustheater, Scheveningen, NL, Nederlands Dans Theater
- Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Friday, March 8, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 1:00 PM
- Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 1:00 PM
- Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Friday, March 15, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 7:30 PM
- Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 1:00 PM
For more information, please visit: http://boxoffice.bostonballet.org/
Founded in 1963, Boston Ballet is one of the leading dance companies in the world onstage, in the studio, and in the community. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Barry Hughson, Boston Ballet has developed exceptional education and community initiatives, in addition to maintaining one of the largest ballet schools in the world, Boston Ballet School.
Boston Ballet maintains a repertoire of classical, neo-classical, and contemporary works, ranging from timeless classics such as Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, and a rich collection of Balanchine choreography to cutting edge contemporary works by Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo and the visionary Jiří Kylián.
2012-2013 Season Tickets
Subscriptions for the 2012-2013 season and individual tickets to all ballets are on sale now. Subscriptions and all tickets are available for sale online 24 hours a day atwww.bostonballet.orgor by phone at 617.695.6955 or in person at the box office at 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5pm and on performance days on Sat and Sun, 11am - 4pm. Prices for season ballets start at $29. Tickets to The Nutcracker start at $35. Discounted group tickets (10 or more) are available by calling the box office or the Group Sales Associate at 617.456.6343. Contact the Boston Ballet box office at 617.695.6955 or visitwww.bostonballet.org for details.
Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following institutional partners:
State Street Corporation, 2012 Presenting Sponsor, The Nutcracker
Barr Foundation
The Boston Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
National Endowment for the Arts
