John Neumeier: 50th anniversary at the Hamburg Ballet

Created: 04/04/2022Updated: 04/04/2022 16:44

John Neumeier, ballet director and chief choreographer of the company at the Hamburg Ballet, before a press conference in the ballet center.

© Christian Charisius/dpa

He was once the youngest ballet director in Germany and is now the longest-serving ballet director in the world: John Neumeier.

In the coming season, the 83-year-old American will say goodbye.

But he doesn't quite go.

Hamburg - An era is coming to an end in the coming year: After 50 years, ballet boss John Neumeier says goodbye to his Hamburg Ballet.

This is to be celebrated with a four-week ballet festival, an open-air performance on the Rathausmarkt and with his "St. Matthew Passion" in Hamburg's Michel.

"When I came to Hamburg almost 50 years ago, I would never have dreamed that I would spend most of my life in this city," said the 83-year-old on Monday in Hamburg at the presentation of the anniversary program.

What has always convinced him to stay: the feeling that something is constantly growing - has grown.

At the 48th Hamburg Ballet Days from June 11 to July 9, 2023, the most important works by John Neumeier will be on show, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Nijinsky" and a new ballet "Dona Nobis Pacem" (Gib us peace) with music by Johann Sebastian Bach, which premieres on December 4th.

"In view of the rampant irreconcilability in our world, this thought offered an important stimulus to deal with Johann Sebastian Bach's complex composition," said Neumeier, who had already selected the piece before the war in the Ukraine.

In addition, some of the most important of his ballets will be revived, including the "Third Symphony by Gustav Mahler" (September 18), "Préludes CV" (October 27), "Illusions - like Swan Lake" (February 11) and "Romeo and Juliet" ( 11.6.) "When I choreographed Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony in 1975, it was revolutionary," said the ballet director.

At that time, many would have asked whether a ballet could be created at all.

"In the meantime we have gone around the world with this ballet and have shown 186 performances in 47 cities," said Neumeier.

The new season also takes the Hamburg Ballet on guest performances in Germany and abroad.

The first stop is the autumn guest performance in the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in October this year.

In January 2023, the Hamburg Ballet will be visiting Venice and presenting "The Lady of the Camellias".

The winter tour will take the ballet company to Chicago in February, where they will give several guest performances of “The Glass Menagerie”.

The Hamburg Ballet will then fly on at the beginning of March, once around the world to Tokyo.

Three guest companies that are closely associated with the work of John Neumeier were also invited to the ballet days: the Royal Danish Ballet with "Othello", the Stuttgart Ballet with "The Lady of the Camellias" and the ballet of the Bolshoi Theater with "Anna Karenina". .

However, it is uncertain whether this guest appearance will come about.

The reason for this are media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Valery Gergiev to take over the Bolshoi Theater.

The city of Munich had dismissed Gergiev, who is considered a friend of Putin, as head of the Munich Philharmonic.

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"As long as Vladimir Urin remains director of the Bolshoi Theater, I would try to bring the Bolshoi Ballet here.

At the moment when Valery Gergiyev is the director of the Bolshoi Theater, I don't think it would be right," Neumeier said.

In 1973, the then State Opera director August Everding brought the native American to Hamburg.

In 1978 Neumeier founded the ballet school of the Hamburg Ballet, which in autumn 1989 moved with the company to a ballet center set up by the city of Hamburg.

It has not yet been decided who will succeed Neumeier at the Hamburg Ballet.

"I will do what I have sometimes longed for: to become a freelance artist," said Neumeier, who is also an honorary citizen of Hamburg.

The first two years are already full of orders.

He will also remain director of the national youth ballet, which is particularly important to him.

The Hamburg cultural authorities will decide who will be his successor at the Hamburg Ballet with the help of a selection committee.

dpa