Soirée Ravel

To mark the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel's birth, we are celebrating his anniversary with the creation of four choreographies of very different styles to four of his most famous compositions.

Dark and dramatic, full of power and artistic virtuosity, the evening opens with Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto for the left hand in D major. This is followed by “La valse”, a piece which, despite its Viennese waltz rhythm, takes the audience into a wistful world full of cynicism, hyperbole and decadence spinning completely out of control. Both works enter a choreographic dialog with each other, led by Bridget Breiner and Richard Siegal.

“Daphnis et Chloé” was created in 1912 as a ballet with a large orchestral sound but a completely different subject. The “symphonie choréographique” revolves around the young lovers Daphnis and Chloé against the backdrop of an idyllic nature. The starting point for Bridget Breiner's new creation is love itself, both between the protagonist couple and in a more abstract, allegorical form in the world of Greek mythology.

Like a machine, the memorable rhythm runs through the entire piece: Maurice Ravel's “Boléro” uses seemingly simple ingredients that have come together to form one of the most famous works of orchestral literature. In his first creation for the Ballett am Rhein, Richard Siegal focuses on the swelling sound inherent in the composition, which is full of driving force, promises eternity and encourages dancing. Together with a musical arrangement by Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch, Ravel's “Boléro” is presented from a new perspective.