Carmen / Rosa / Boléro / World Premiere - Salzburg Landestheater

This ballet evening thematically takes us to the Iberian Peninsula. For the first time in the main house, three different choreographic styles are presented in one evening, giving our ballet ensemble the opportunity to showcase its full range of dance diversity and interpretative breadth. With the catchy melodies of Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen," composer Rodion Shchedrin has created a ballet for string orchestra and percussion tailored for prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, which, as he stated, should "always sound a few degrees hotter than the opera." In Valentina Turcu's choreography, the emotional contradictions of the protagonist are the focus.

At the center of the ballet evening is Reginaldo Oliveira's ballet "Rosa," which approaches Spanish pop in connection with modern flamenco. It traces the path of pop legend Rosalía and her unusual interpretation of this passionate music. After the chief choreographer successfully celebrated Latin American spirit with "Frida's World," he will this time create an exhilarating choreography inspired by Spanish rhythms and pop music.

"Boléro" was commissioned in 1928 by the Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein from Maurice Ravel. Bronislawa Nijinska, the sister of the legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, provided the choreography, and together they premiered the work at the Paris Opera. Rubinstein danced on a table, surrounded by 20 men who, with their lascivious movements, built up the crescendo of the music until the tension was released in an orgasmic climax at the final chord – a scandal at the time!

The award-winning Croatian choreographer and director Valentina Turcu is among the most internationally respected specialists in narrative works and was artistically shaped by Maurice Béjart. Yonggeol Kim has danced at the Paris Opera Ballet and is now enjoying great success as a choreographer in his native Korea. Reginaldo Oliveira has already shown various facets of his choreographic work as chief choreographer for the Salzburg Landestheater. With "Rosa," following "Tanto...Tango!" and "Frida's World," he pays homage to the vibrant rhythms of the Iberian Peninsula combined with the modern interpretation of the Spanish artist Rosalía.