Dominique Dumais' new dance piece brings the seasons to life through choreography, music and set design.
In 1725, Antonio Vivaldi published his collection The Four Seasons as four programmatic violin concertos. The composer Max Richter recorded a new interpretation in 2012 as part of the Recomposed series for Deutsche Grammophon. He most recently presented this on the occasion of Earth Day 2023 in London. According to Richter, his interpretation has its "origins in the natural rhythms of the seasons". These "form the basis of our existence. We belong to them, and they belong to us all equally."
Dominique Dumais © Mainfranken Theater Würzburg
The human body as a micro-universe of nature
Ballet director Dominique Dumais' new dance production Four Seasons also focuses on the cycles and rhythms of nature that determine the life of every human being: "While spring symbolizes hope and summer fertility, autumn stands for the time when we harvest the fruits of our labour. Winter is the time of rest and reflection. My interest in this project lies in our inherent connection to nature. We are a part of it and our survival is entirely dependent on its survival. Humans, like animals or plants, are essentially the same: a collection of cells dancing around each other to the rhythm of life. The human body is a micro-universe of the complex wonder of nature. What we see in nature is reflected in us."
Paul Zoller's stage design uses a play of colors and projections to immerse the Blue Hall in the atmosphere of the different seasons. The costumes by Kerstin Laube set the appropriate accents. In this way, nature is expressed on all three levels: the music, the choreography and the set of this production.
Premiere November 4, 2023
Further performances: November 18, 2023 to April 10, 2024
www.mainfrankentheater.de
