The dark beauty of ‘Requiem’
«When dancers walk into the room they are thinking about different things: One might be thinking about his or her life, one other about his death, the next one about God. When Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ begins, however, they are all thinking about the same thing: This is death, your death, my death,» John Neumeier said in 1991, when the distinguished artist made his debut with the celebrated work. Ending tonight, the Hamburg Ballet presents Neumeier’s «Requiem» at the Athens Concert Hall as part of the Year of Mozart events. The Camerata Orchestra is conducted by Miltos Logiadis and features soloists Mata Katsouli, Irini Karayianni, Robert Woerle and Christoforos Staboglis. Major contribution John Neumeier needs no introduction; only a quick look at his resume shows the size and depth of his work and contributions. First as a ballet director and resident choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet beginning in 1973 and then as the company’s managing director (since 1996), Neumeier put Hamburg on the international ballet map. As an artist he has remained faithful to classical ballet tradition, while continually looking for new ways of expression. Going beyond «Swan Lake» and «Giselle» he has also gone in search of «The Legend of King Arthur,» Homer’s «Odyssey,» Chekhov’s «Seagull,» Thomas Mann’s «Death in Venice,» Bach’s «St Matthew’s Passion» and Leonard Bernstein’s «West Side Story.» Listening to his voice on the telephone reaffirms the notion that he is a man of gentle manners, entirely dedicated to his art. Neumeier spoke to Kathimerini a few days before he came to Greece for the Athens Concert Hall premiere. Going back 15 years, what drew you to the «Requiem» in the first place? The music. It’s something I always wanted to do. The idea was to present it together with Herbert von Karajan in 1975, a plan which was eventually abandoned. The «Requiem» has always been in my heart, inside my thoughts. To whom would you dedicated the «Requiem» today? When we first started rehearsing in 1990 I talked to the dancers and I asked them to meditate on death. The effects of AIDS were very heavy at the time. Today I ask them to silently dedicate it to someone they knew. What’s important to you as a choreographer? The most important thing for me is honesty, especially toward the individual voice given to each and every one of us. The central figure in all my works is human existence. It all begins from an emotional basis and has to do with man. Diversity Your work shows great variety and diverse subject matter. What is it that urges you to create each time? It’s different every single time. It might be the music, something I read; it’s a combination of things. I didn’t have a particular story in mind for «Requiem.» I worked together with the dancers during the rehearsals and together we came up with the choreography’s plot. Which contemporary choreographers would you single out? Unfortunately, I work very hard and I don’t have the time to follow recent developments in great detail. The Hamburg Ballet’s repertory includes works by Mats Ek and Jiri Kilian, among others. Each of these artists is special and has an entirely different approach to put forward. How do you feel about the future of classical ballet, about the future of dance in general? I don’t really know… It’s a very difficult question to answer. I’m not sure where we’re headed. I do think we have to carry on exploring our roots – not to keep repeating the same things, but to experiment, to broaden the language of dance. Emotion, the soul, both are of great importance to me. Dance is not entertainment, unless you’re going to a party. As I grow older I think that dance is a very serious form of art. And I insist that its future lies in its humanity… Let’s not forget that dance uses man as its subject matter, its tool. Therefore, its future is bright. Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali & Vas. Sofias, tel 210.728.2333. For more information go to www.megaron.gr.
