Hamburg season brings the world to Brisbane
25/07/2012
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is bringing the world to Brisbane this month with the long-awaited launch of the Hamburg Season, part of the QPAC International Series.
As part of the dramatically expanded International Series, opening this month will be world-renowned ballet company The Hamburg Ballet, as well as associated visits by the splendid Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and artists of the Hamburg State Opera.
The Hamburg Ballet is led by the great choreographer John Neumeier, the man who has shaped its repertoire and style and who has kept it at the forefront of world dance for four decades. During that time, a number of Australians have danced within the company, but the company has never visited Australia.
Audiences will experience two major examples of Neumeier’s work. Nijinsky, an intense, dramatic and at times confronting work based on the life, meteoric career and descent into madness of one of Neumeier’s heroes, the legendary Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. This is choreographed to powerful music by Chopin, Schumann, Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich.
Neumeier’s second work is his luminous, ethereal and at times hilariously funny version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Set to music by Mendelssohn and Ligeti, and based on Shakespeare’s great comedy, Neumeier’s ballet is a ravishing version of this great classic tale of magic, mistaken identity and lovers’ quarrels.
The orchestra for the performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of young Brisbane-raised conductor Simon Hewett who is Hamburg Ballet’s resident ballet conductor and who has recently been appointed Musical Director of Stuttgart Opera.
Like the ballet company, the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hamburg QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said “QPAC has grown its international standing as a performing arts centre. The QPAC International Series builds on our recent successes and continues the relationship with producers Leo Schofield AM and Ian McRae AO and Events Queensland.”
Mr Kotzas said that the QPAC International Series would not only feature nationally exclusive main stage performance seasons from the world’s best performing artists, but also will include a curated program of special events, classes, talks and related activities.
Mr Kotzas added that the 2012 presentation of the Hamburg’s state performance companies was timely as Australia and Germany celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations.
The QPAC International Series is supported by Events Queensland as part of a continuing partnership with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
The national exclusive season by Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Hamburg State Opera will be presented at QPAC from 23 August to 5 September 2012.
Some tickets are still available:
www.qpac.com.au or phone 136-246