Presenter: Stuttgart Ballet
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts – Opera House
Dates: October 09 -11, 2009 19:30
Price: VIP 600 500 300 200 120 RMB
Programme Introduction
More from Stuttgart Ballet “Mixed Program”
The comedy The Taming of the Shrew is the last of John Cranko’s triad of full-length works in which he redefined the genre of the narrative ballet in the 20th century. The world premiere in 1969 – with Márcia Haydée and Richard Cragun in the title roles – was an overwhelming success and was received by the public and the press with tempestuous acclaim. Today, the enthusiasm for this masterpiece remains unbroken, as the magnificent reception to its return to the Stuttgart stage amply shows. Cranko translated Shakespeare’s comedy into the movements of classical ballet with wit and a firm feel for comic potential. With skilful artistry and subtle gestures he unleashes the irony found in Shakespeare’s text, revealing the romantic nuances in the stormy, ever-changeable relationship between Katharina and Petrucchio. He preserves the ambiguous character and the multi-faceted comedy of Shakespeare’s original text, despite trimming the plot considerably. Cranko was short and to-the-point in describing his choreographic structure, based on three central pas de deux: “The entire plot revolves around a man and a woman and their relationship with each other. Three pas de deux. First she is the stronger, he the suitor; in the second he is the stronger, she is his wife. In the end they find a balance and are truly in love.”
Synopsis
ACT ONE
Scene One: Outside Baptista’s House
Hortensio, a fop, Lucentio a student, and Gremio, an elderly roué, serenade the beautiful Bianca. Their love songs are brusquely interrupted by Katherina. Baptista explains to the suitors that Kate, as the elder of his two daughters, must be married first. Neighbours, awakened by the rumpus, chase the thwarted lovers away.
Scene Two: A Tavern
Petruchio, a gentleman of more generosity than means is stripped of his last penny by two ladies of the streets. The suitors suggest that he might be interested in the charms and the fortune of Katherina. He agrees.
Scene Three: Inside Baptista’s House
Bianca muses about her preferences among her three suitors; she is interrupted by a jealous outburst from Kate who calls her a scheming flirt. This dispute is further interrupted by the arrival of Petruchio accompanied by Gremio, Lucentio and Hortensio, disguised at teachers of singing, dancing and music. Petruchio is none too favourably received by Kate.
Alone with Bianca the suitors doff their disguises and continue their wooing in the form of lessons. Bianca soon recognizes Lucentio as the most desirable.
Kate reacts violently against Petruchio’s protestations of passion thinking that they are a false mockery, but something in his manner convinces her enough to agree to the marriage.
Scene Four: A Street
The neighbours on their way to Kate’s nuptials treat the matter as a huge joke. The three suitors join them, now in high hopes that Bianca will soon be won.
Scene Five: Baptista’s House
The guests have arrived. Kate is in her bridal array, but the bridegroom appears to have forgotten the day. When he does appear, in fantastic garb, Petruchio misbehaves, ill-treats the priest, and carries-off the bride before the wedding festivities have begun.
ACT TWO
Scene One: The journey to Petruchio’s house
Petruchio proceeds with his taming of Katherina by extinguishing the fire and finding fault with the food. Katherina has a hard, cold, hungry night.
Scene Two: Carnival
A masked and cloaked stranger appears to Hortensio and Gremio during the carnival. Both of them believing her to be Bianca are only too eager to take their marriage vows. Too late they discover that they have been duped and married the two ladies of the streets, suitably briefed; bribed, and disguised by Lucentio.
Scene Three: Petruchio’s house again
When Petruchio finds fault with the new clothes that he has ordered for Katherina, her weary resistance finally crumbles and she capitulates to her master; only to find that her master is a kinder, wittier husband than she has imagined.
Scene Four: The journey to Bianca’s wedding
Petruchio indulges in a few more whims and fancies, but Kate has learned her lesson, and joins in the fun.
Scene Five: Bianca’s wedding
Gremio and Hortensio have found out that the joys of marriage are a mixed blessing, and even Lucentio has reason to fear that Bianca is not the angel that she appeared to be. Kate, on the other hand, and to everybody’s astonishment, turns out to be the truest, most obedient, most loving of wives. Which only goes to show that women are not always what they appear to be, or never judge a book by its cover.
The Stuttgart Ballet & John Cranko
Ballet in Stuttgart has a rich history whose origins go back to the 17th-century court of Württemberg. It had its first golden age in the 18th century, when the great dance reformer Jean-Georges Noverre exerted his influence here from 1759 to 1766.
In 1961, choreographer John Cranko (1927-1973) was appointed ballet director, and a new era in the history of the Stuttgart Ballet began. With three legendary new works he renewed the genre of the full-length narrative ballet: Romeo and Juliet (1959, new version 1962), Onegin (1965, new version 1967) and The Taming of the Shrew (1969). Up to the present day, dancers worldwide list a leading role in one of these ballets amongst their dream roles. During the Stuttgart Ballet’s first tour to the United States in 1969 American critics coined the term “Stuttgart ballet miracle”.
The Stuttgart Ballet has remained at the forefront of international dance for more than 40 years now. From 1976 to 1996 Márcia Haydée directed the company. Canadian born Reid Anderson, formerly a Cranko soloist and director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1989 to 1996, is continuing the company’s success in the role of artistic director since 1996 with programming which provides creative opportunities for younger choreographers whilst cultivating the Cranko heritage. The breathtaking level of technical skill and the stylistically broad repertoire of the Stuttgart Ballet not only attract audiences, but also dance talent from all over the world: more than 25 nationalities are represented amongst the apprentices, corps dancers, soloists and principal dancers.
(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)
