Happy Friday! We are proud to announce that Requiem!!, our season opener, has run with great success and winning reviews. Only two performances left! Though the Capitol Theatre fills with the familiar sounds of Mozart, Requiem!! is anything but familiar, and certainly not one may consider traditional or safe. On the contrary, Requiem!! is exciting and thrilling its audiences. In honor of Requiem!!, I am dedicating this post to fun facts and press highlights.
Fact number 1: Some of you may not know that BalletMet was the first North American Ballet Company to perform Requiem!!, German choreographer Birgit Scherzer’s signature piece. Pretty impressive if you ask me!
Fact number 2: The characters M and Death are the only two characters seen throughout the entire work. They appear both literally and metaphorically. Death is always present, at times close and at other times far away.
Fact number 3: M is based on different accounts of Mozart’s life. As Birgit Scherzer did research for the piece, she found it very difficult to combine Mozart’s many characteristics and attributes into once dancer. Because of this, she created M1, M2 and M3. Though M is for Mozart, M also represents the German word for human - mensch," According to Birgit Scherzer, "It can be any of us."
Fact number 4: The suitcase seen in part 2 of the 3 part show is highly symbolic. It symbolizes being on a journey and not being at home. It also is a symbol of Mozart’s constant movement from one place to another. Other symbols include the black umbrellas, which come from the fact that it was snowing when Mozart died and so people were seen with umbrellas. (Snow also denotes winter when nature is dead). Umbrellas can also be viewed in a more generally sheltering or reassuring way.
Fact number 5: What’s up with those 2 exclamation points? In a recent interview, Artistic Director Gerald Charles said “they signify that it is more than just a dance to Mozart's music of that name. It is a dance piece in its own right with its own purpose and artistry."
The show is certainly unique, and audience members and reviewers have submitted rave reviews and provided very positive feedback.
Here are just a couple of press highlights for you to read. If you haven’t seen the show yet, maybe these reviews will inspire you to go this weekend!
“No one could accuse BalletMet Columbus of going easy on its audience in the company's season-opening program: Requiem!! by German choreographer Birgit Scherzer…it's stunning theatricality packs a punch to the solar plexus. No waltzing flowers here. This 90-minute thriller…in every way matches the depth of feeling and poignancy of its music, Mozart's Requiem.”
Barbara Zuck, The Columbus Dispatch
“…I realized this show wasn’t Swan Lake or The Nutcracker. Requiem!! isn’t a nice little Romance where Prince Charming falls in love with Princess Peach in toe shoes. This was horror at the ballet. Ok, maybe “horror,” isn’t a genre that translates adequately. I’m sure, as a dance, this more likely would fall under the category of “psychological thriller.” Regardless, my point is that if you’re not the typical Ballet-goer, this might be exactly the production to whet your appetite for dance. Oh, and it’s October – the perfect time to go see something a little darker than normal.”
John Theiss, CityScene Magazine
For more articles about Requiem!! and to read the full reviews, please follow the links below. Enjoy your weekends, and don’t miss your chance to see this spectacular show tonight or tomorrow.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2010/09/30/season-opening-celebrations-to-salute-germanic-gems.html?sid=101
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/02/review_balletmet.html
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