The Seasons by Thierry Malandain, music by Vivaldi and Guido
Palace of Versailles Royal Opera
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Cast
Thierry Malandain — Choreographer
Jorge Gallardo — Stage sets and costumes
François Menou — Lighting
Véronique Murat — Costumes
Charlotte Margnoux — Costumes
Frédéric Vadé — Set designer
Annie Onchalo — Props
Richard Coudray — Ballet master
Giuseppe Chiavaro — Ballet master
Frederik Deberdt — Ballet master
Malandain Ballet Biarritz
Orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versailles
Stefan Plewniak — Conductor
Program notes
This new ballet by the great Thierry Malandain, presented at the gorgeous Royal Opera of Versailles, is one of his best and most enchanting: The Seasons brings together Antonio Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons with a parallel set by his contemporary, Giovanni Antonio Guido, in one bold and breathtakingly graceful program!
The exact date of composition of Guido's Four Seasons is unknown, but they are likely to have been written around the same time as Vivaldi's, or even a bit earlier. Though both composers present musical celebrations of nature, Guido spent most of his adult life in France, and his Four Seasons—likely inspired by a series of paintings by Antoine Watteau—are clearly influenced by the French style. The juxtaposition of the two sets makes Vivaldi's sound brand new—and look it too, as the brilliant Malandain Ballet Biarritz prove their excellence once again in a choreography of supreme kinetic elegance, gorgeous geometry, and captivating chiaroscuro tableaux.
Photo © Olivier Houeix
