John Neumeier's Nijinsky, music by Chopin, Schumann, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Shostakovich
The Hamburg Ballet
Cast
John Neumeier — Choreographer
Alexandr Trusch — Nijinsky as “Harlequin” and “Le Spectre de la rose”
Ondřej Rudčenko — A pianist
Jacopo Bellussi — Leonid Massine
Lloyd Riggins — Petrushka
Marc Jubete — Nijinsky as “The Golden Slave” and “The Faun”
Alexandre Riabko — Vaslav Nijinsky
Silvia Azzoni — Tamara Karsavina
Program notes
The Polish dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky was a great inspiration to John Neumeier from early on in the younger dancer’s career. Premiered in 2000 by the Hamburg Ballet (where John Neumeier is director and principal choreographer), the ballet Nijinsky evokes the career of the man nicknamed the “God of Dance”. Neumeier focuses the work on the pivotal moment when Nijinsky began to sink into the madness that would eventually lead to his death. Mixing art and life on stage, he creates a moving tribute that evokes the artistic circle and some of the greatest roles of this truly singular artist.
Photo: © Kiran West
