Tchaikovsky

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The Greek National Opera Ballet presents a new fascinating dance performance inspired by the life of the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Cayetano Soto. Although we are well aware of the unsurpassable music he composed and the way it has influenced and shaped classical ballet, it remains largely unknown that the renowned composer did not get to live his life as he had hoped. Distinguished choreographer Cayetano Soto, in collaboration with Dario Suša, creates a highly intense performance about the inner division of the composer of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.

Tchaikovsky seems to have been torn between the societal conventions of 19th-century Russian society and his personal desires. Although he struggled to accept his true nature in order to find himself, the pressure of society dominated his entire life until his tragic death. With their distinct dance vocabulary, comprising nuanced details and grotesque adaptations of traditional movements, Soto and Suša create a ballet inspired by the unreleased letters and other archival documents from the state Tchaikovsky House-Museum, published in Moscow in 2009.

Through this modern and avant-garde performance, the audience will have the chance to gain insight into the less glamorous moments of the life of a legendary music figure, and discover the challenges he faced, his courage, and his exceptional genius. At the same time, dancers are called upon to handle the piece with exceptional technical aptitude, imagination, and immense sensitivity.

Cayetano Soto has drawn the attention of the dance community since his debut choreography, Plenilunio, created for the Bayerisches Staatsballett (Munich). This piece earned him the title of “Best Young Choreographer to Watch” from the German magazine Tanz Aktuell. He has collaborated with some of the most important companies worldwide, such as Nederlands Dans Theater, Stuttgarter Ballett, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ballett Zürich, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Czech National Ballet, Balé da Cidade de São Paulo, Perm Opera Ballet Theatre, and others. He has received the first prize at the “Uncontainable” competition at the Royal Ballet of Flanders for his piece 24FPS, while in 2018 he taught in the modern dance programme “Jacob’s Pillow”.

The musical script accompanying the choreography features compositions by Tchaikovsky, both choral and orchestral. These include: Hymn No. 6 from the All-Night Vigil, Op. 52, the amazing Finale of the “Pathétique” Symphony, the masterful “Elegy” from the Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, the famous “Polonaise” from Act III of his opera Eugene Onegin, the “Canzonetta” from the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, the “Scherzo” from his Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian Symphony), and other pieces.