A newly commissioned Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) production of The Firebird will is set to soar.
Following the triumph of Hansel and Gretel in 2019, RNZB artistic director Patricia Barker invited Loughlan Prior to create a new production for the fantastical fairytale. Barker says, “How we treat one another and the world for the next generations is at the forefront of our new production. Loughlan has dived into the world of The Firebird and the magic of Stravinsky’s score, creating a work that brings us closer to our own humanity.”
First staged in Paris in 1910, The Firebird changed the direction of ballet, making a superstar of Igor Stravinsky. The Firebird sees the natural world threatened and humanity faced with extinction. Captured, the Firebird—a fertility goddess with magical powers—offers redemption if humankind is brave enough to follow.
Prior says, “The Firebird draws on Earth’s beauty at its most elemental, the vastness of the cosmos and the impact—both good and evil—of humans on our precious world.”
Generations of choreographers have been inspired by the power of Stravinsky’s music, and by the timeless, untamable Firebird. The iconic score sees sinuous melodies spiked with shimmering orchestration, creating an exotic universe full of wild enchantment far removed from the classics of Russian ballet.
The RNZB has paired The Firebird with the Russian classic, Paquita, two very different kinds of ballet. Paquita, first staged in 1846, features sparkling tutus inspired by Russian master jeweller Fabergé, fleet footwork, soaring leaps, spectacular turns, and a finale which leaves the audience breathless.
The Firebird with Paquita lands at the Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre 12-14 August.
