Staatsoper Hamburg - Stück-Besetzung: A Dance of Death by John Neumeier based on the novella by Thomas Mann

Gustav von Aschenbach

Christopher Evans

Principal

Christopher Evans

BORN
2.11.94 in Loveland, CO. American

EDUCATION
BalletMet Dance Academy
Canada's National Ballet School
The School of the Hamburg Ballet

MAIN TEACHERS
Susan Dromisky, Alexander Gorbatsevich, Kevin Haigen

ENGAGEMENT
Hamburg Ballet since 2012, Soloist 2015, Principal since 2018

CREATIONS
Jim O'Connor in "The Glass Menagerie"
A Mystic in "Dona Nobis Pacem"

and solos in

Turangalîla
Beethoven Project I
Ghost Light
Beethoven Project II
Epilogue
Aether (Luca Andrea Tessarini)
Metamorphosis (Marc Jubete)
Beautiful Soul (Marcelino Libao)

REPERTORY
The King, Count Alexander and Quadrille in "Illusions - like Swan Lake"
Benvolio and Antonio in "Romeo and Juliet"
Fabian in "VIVALDI or What you will"
Albrecht in "Giselle"
Günther in "The Nutcracker"
Vladimir Lensky in "Tatjana"
The Prince and A Bird in "A Cinderella Story"
Theseus/Oberon and Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Arlequin in ‘Carnaval' and The Spirit of the rose in 'Le Spectre de la rose' in "Nijinsky"
Konstantin (Kostya) Gavrilovich Triplev in "The Seagull"
Armand Duval and Des Grieux in "Lady of the Camellias"
Man I in "Bernstein Dances"
Gustav von Aeschenbach in "Death in Venice"
Koll/Fortinbras in "Hamlet 21"
Love/Thyrsis/Orion in "Sylvia"
Catalabutte in "The Sleeping Beauty" (Neufassung 2021)
Harold Mitchell (Mitch) in "Endstation Sehnsucht"
Odysseus in *Odyssey"
Alexei Karenin and Levin in "Anna Karenina"
Mann in Green in "Dances at a Gathering" (Jerome Robbins)
Basil in "Don Quixote" (Rudolf Nurejev after Marius Petipa)
Prince Florizel in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
St John Rivers in "Jane Eyre" (Cathy Marston)

and solos in

Préludes CV
Petrushka-Variations
Christmas Oratorio I-VI
The Song of the Earth
Soldier Songs (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
The Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Nocturnes
At Midnight
Saint Matthew Passion
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (George Balanchine)
The Times Are Racing (Justin Peck)
Blake Works V – The Barre Project (William Forsythe)

HE CHOREOGRAPHED
"Soul Sketch"
Premiere: Young Choreographers, Hamburg, 2016
"A Cosmic Second"
Premiere: Young Choreographers, Hamburg, 2017

AWARDS
Prix de Lausanne 2010
Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer-Prize 2015

Find further information about Christopher Evans here.

Performances

Aschenbach's assistant, his mother and Tadzio's mother

Ida Praetorius

Principal

Ida Praetorius

BORN
3.9.93 in Copenhagen. Danish

EDUCATION
The Royal Danish Ballet School

MAIN TEACHERS
Nikolaj Hübbe, Adam Lüders, Eva Draw, Anne Marie Vessel Schlüter, Sorella Englund

ENGAGEMENTS
Royal Danish Ballet since 2010, 2014 Soloist, 2016 Principal
Hamburg Ballet since December 2021, as Principal

CREATIONS
in Copenhagen

Liza in "Queen of Spades" (Liam Scarlett)
Cinderella in "Cinderella" (Gregoery Dean)
Carmen in "Carmen" (Marcos Morau)
Lolita in "Lolita" (Cathy Martson)
Cecilie de Volance in "Dangerous Liaisons" (Cathy Martson)
The Child in "The Death That Best Preserves" (Natalia Horecna)

and solos in

Persistent Persuasion
Krash (Alessandro Sousa Pereira)
Traditional (Alessandro Sousa Pereira)
For Malala (Anna Lærkesen)
Terra Incognita (Robert Binet)

CREATIONS
in Hamburg

Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version 2021)
HER in "Dona Nobis Pacem"

and solo in

Epilogue

REPERTORY
in Copenhagen

Marguerite Gautier in "Lady of the Camellias"
Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet"
Chloe (Pas de deux) in "Daphnis and Chloe"
Eleonora in "The Kermesse in Bruges" (August Bournonville)
The Sylph in "La Sylphide" (Auguste Bournonville)
The Pupil in "The Lesson" (Flemming Flindt)
Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop in "The Nutcracker" (George Balanchine)
Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" (Nikolaj Hübbe and Silja Schandorff)
Gamzatti in "La Bayadère" (Marius Petipa and Nikolaj Hübbe)
Giselle in "Giselle" (Nikolaj Hübbe and Silja Schandorff)
Kitri in "Don Quixote" (Marius Petipa and Nikolaj Hübbe)
Henriette in "Raymonda" (Nikolaj Hübbe)
Alice in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (Christopher Wheeldon)
Karen Blixen in "Blixen" (Gregory Dean)
Marianela in "Infra" (Wayne McGregor)

and solos in

Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)
Jewels – Rubies (George Balanchine)
Ballo Della Regina (George Balanchine)
Other Dances (Jerome Robbins)
Etudes (Harald Lander)
Napoli (Auguste Bournonville)
Flower Festival (Auguste Bournonville)
Symphony of Psalms (Jirí Kylián)
Short Time Together (Paul Lightfoot and Sol León)

REPERTORY
in Hamburg

Princess Aurora Princess Florine and Aurora, the dawn in "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version 2021)
Julie in "Liliom"
Woman I in "Bernstein Dances"
Esmeralda and the Clowns in "The Nutcracker"
Marguerite Gautier in "Lady of the Camellias"
Princess Natalia in "Illusions – like Swan Lake"
Romola Nijinsky and The Ballerina, Tamara Karsavina in "Nijinsky"
Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Pallas Athene in "Odyssey"
Aschenbach's assistant, his mother and Tadzio's mother in "Death in Venice"
Queen Hermione in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
Jane Eyre in "Jane Eyre" (Cathy Marston)

and solos in

Beethoven Project II
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Variations for Two Couples (Hans van Manen)
The Times Are Racing (Justin Peck)
Blake Works V – The Barre Project (William Forsythe)

GUESTING
Hamburg (John Neumeier's 80th Birthday Gala 2019, Nijinsky Gala 2013 and 2021), New York (Bournonville Tour 2015 and 2019), Sun Valley, CA (Ballet Sun Valley Gala 2017 and 2018), Taichung (Gala 2017), Jakarta (Gala 2017), Moscow (Gala for Boris Akimov 2016), Montréal (Festival des arts des Saint-Sauveur 2013), Houston (Dance Salad Festival 2014 and 2019), Berlin (Taglioni European Ballet Award 2014), L'Aquila (728° Perdonanza Celestiniana, 2022)

AWARDS
The Erik Bruhn Price for Best Female Dancer 2012
The Reumert Talent Award 2012
The Queen Ingrid Honorary Grant 2013
The Reumert Prize, Dancer of the Year 2019
In December 2019, she was made by the Queen of Denmark a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
Premio Positano Léonide Massine 2022

Photo © Natascha Thiara Rydvald

Performances

Tadzio

Lennard Giesenberg

Frederick the Great

Alessandro Frola

La Barbarina

Charlotte Larzelere

Aschenbach's Concept

Madoka Sugai

Principal

Madoka Sugai

BORN
12.7.94 in Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Japanese

EDUCATION
Sasaki Mika Ballet Academy (Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture)

MAIN TEACHERS
Mika Sasaki, Mikio Ikehata

ENGAGEMENTS
National Youth Ballet in 2012
Hamburg Ballet since 2014. Soloist in 2017, Principal since 2019

CREATIONS
A Mystic and A young Woman in "Dona Nobis Pacem"
A Wise Woman in "Slow Burn" (Aszure Barton)

and solos in

Beethoven Project
Ghost Light
Beethoven Project II
Epilogue
Solo for Two (Konstantin Tselikov)
Little Requiem (Aleix Martínez)
Götterboten (Aljoscha Lenz)

REPERTORY
Peasant Pas de deux in "Giselle"
Cinderella in "A Cinderella Story"
Marguerite Gautier and Prudence Duvernoy in "Lady of the Camellias"
Princess Natalia in "Illusions – like Swan Lake"
Woman III in "Bernstein Dances"
Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Ophelia in "Hamlet 21"
Sylvia in "Sylvia"
Princess Aurora, Princess Florine, Mercury and Aurora, the Dawn in "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version 2021)
Louise and The Beautiful Girl from Granada in "The Nutcracker"
Bronislava Nijinsky in "Nijinsky"
Circe in "Odyssey"
Dolly in "Anna Karenina"
Aschenbach's Concepts in "Death in Venice"
Woman in Apricot in "Dances at a Gathering" (Jerome Robbins)
Kitri/Dulcinea in "Don Quixote" (Rudolf Nurejev after Marius Petipa)
Princess Perdita in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
Jane Eyre in "Jane Eyre" (Cathy Marston)

and solos in

Soldier Songs (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
The Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Vaslav
Broadway's Pavlova
Saint Matthew Passion
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Préludes CV
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (George Balanchine)
Variations for Two Couples (Hans van Manen)
The Times Are Racing (Justin Peck)
Blake Works V – The Barre Project (William Forsythe)

AWARDS
Prix de Lausanne 2012
Dr.-Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Prize 2018

Find further information about Madoka Sugai here.

Performances

Aschenbach's Concept

Jacopo Bellussi

Principal

Jacopo Bellussi

BORN
27.3.93 in Genoa. Italian

EDUCATION
Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Milan
The Royal Ballet School, London

MAIN TEACHERS
Gailene Stock, Jay Jolley, Kathryn Wade, Gary Norman, Marialuisa Capiferri, Valentina Massa, Emma Landolina

ENGAGEMENTS
Bayerisches Staatsballett II
Hamburg Ballet since 2012. Soloist in 2017, Principal since 2019

CREATIONS
A figure from the romantic novels Tatiana loves to read in "Tatiana"
The Soldier's Friend (Annunzio Cervi) in "Duse"
A Mystic in "Dona Nobis Pacem"

and solos in

Beethoven Project I
Ghost Light
Beethoven Project II
Peter and Igor
Epilogue
Yes we Could (Konstantin Tselikov)

REPERTORY
Romeo and Paris in "Romeo and Juliet"
Curio in "VIVALDI or What you will"
Cassio in "Othello"
Peasant Pas de deux in "Giselle"
Leonid Massine, Harlequin in ‘Carnaval' and Geist der Rose in 'Le Spectre de la rose' in "Nijinsky"
Armand Duval, Gaston Rieux, Des Grieux and Count N in "Lady of the Camellias"
Semyon Semyonovich Medvedenko in "The Seagull"
her husband in "Christmas Oratorio I-VI"
The Man in the Shadow and Count Alexander in "Illusions - like Swan Lake"
Man II in "Bernstein Dances"
Alexej Wronski in "Anna Karenina"
Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
The Unicorn in "The Glass Menagerie"
Aminta and Endymion in "Sylvia"
Frederick the Great and Aschenbach's Concepts in "Death in Venice"
Prince Désiré and a Spanish Prince in "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version 2021)
Allan Gray in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Mann in Blue and in Purple in "Dances at a Gathering" (Jerome Robbins)
Espada in "Don Quixote" (Rudolf Nurejev after Marius Petipa)
King Polixenes in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)
St John Rivers in "Jane Eyre" (Cathy Marston)

and solos in

The Song of the Earth
Saint Matthew Passion
Soldier Songs (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
The Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Vaslav
Nocturnes
At Midnight
Third Symphony by Gustav Mahler
Christmas Oratorio I-VI
Préludes CV
Adagio (Pina Bausch)
Variations for Two Couples (Hans van Manen)
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (George Balanchine)
Liebeslieder Walzer (George Balanchine)
King Polixenes in "The Winter's Tale" (Christopher Wheeldon)

GUESTING
Munich (Matinee of the Heinz Bosl Foundation, 2019), Roma , Genova-Nervi, Ravenna and Padova (2021), L'Aquila (728° Perdonanza Celestiniana, 2022), Positano (Award Ceremony Gala 2022)

AWARDS
Premio Danza&Danza 2016 – Best Italian Dancer Abroad
Konstanze Vernon Prize 2019
Premio Nazionale Sfera d'Oro per la Danza 2021
Premio Positano Léonide Massine 2022
Premio Internazionale per la Danza "Città di Foligno" 2024

Jacopo Bellussi has been appointed Artistic Director of the Nervi Festival from the 2025 edition

Find further information about Jacopo Bellussi here.

Performances

The Wanderer, the Gondolier, Dionysos, the Hairdresser, ...

Florian Pohl

The Wanderer, the Gondolier, Dionysos, the Hairdresser, ...

Matias Oberlin

Principal

Matias Oberlin

BORN
27.4.96 in Santa Fe, Argentina. Argentinian/German

EDUCATION
Seminario Provincial de Ballet – Santa Fe, Argentina
The School of the Hamburg Ballet

MAIN TEACHERS
Elizabeth Sture, Christian Schön, Janusz Mazon, Kevin Haigen, Gigi Hyatt

ENGAGEMENT
Hamburg Ballet since 2014, Soloist in 2018, Principal since 2023

CREATIONS
Beethoven Project
Ghost Light
Epilogue
Pain Pushed me Forward (Braulio Alvarez)

REPERTORY
Lord Capulet and Brother Lorenzo in "Romeo and Juliet"
Gaston Rieux in "Lady of the Camellias"
The King in "Christmas Oratorio I-VI"
Drosselmeier und Günther in "The Nutcracker"
Count Alexander in "Illusion: like Swan Lake"
Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Fenge in "Hamlet 21"
The Wanderer, the Gondolier, a Dance Couple, Dionysos, the Hairdresser, the Guitar Player in "Death in Venice"
The Thorn, Cupid's Blessing, a Spanish Prince and an Egyptian Prince in "The Sleeping Beauty" (new version 2021)
The Balloon Man in "Liliom"
Serge Diaghilev and Thomas Nijinsky in "Nijinsky"
Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Alexei Karenin and Levin in "Anna Karenina"
Mr. Brocklehurst in "Jane Eyre" (Cathy Marston)

and solos in

The Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Beethoven Project I
Saint Matthew Passion
Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Préludes CV
Liebeslieder Walzer (George Balanchine)
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (George Balanchine)
Variations for Two Couples (Hans van Manen)
The Times Are Racing (Justin Peck)
Blake Works V – The Barre Project (William Forsythe)

HE CHOREOGRAPHED
"Flash"
Premiere: Young Choreographers, Hamburg, 2017

AWARD
Scholarship from the "Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation" (2011-2013)
Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer-Prize 2019

Find further information about Matias Oberlin here.

Performances

A young Aschenbach

Filipe Rettore

Jaschu, Tadzio's friend

Francesco Cortese

Ensemble

Hamburg Ballett

Hamburg is and has always been a city of dance, with the first ballet performances dating back as early as 1765. In 1963, the leading ensembles of the world, including the New York City Ballet and the London Royal Ballet, performed at the Hamburg State Opera. Just ten years later, a unique ballet history began in 1973 when the then 34-year-old John Neumeier was appointed as Ballet Director. For 51 years, Neumeier would lead the Hamburg company, later also as its Artistic Director, bringing it to worldwide acclaim and making it what it is today: the internationally renowned Hamburg Ballet. Beginning in August 2024, Demis Volpi will be taking over as the new Artistic Director of the 61-member ensemble.

The Hamburg Ballet is inseparably linked to the rich repertory of choreographies by John Neumeier, which often address literary, historical, or religious themes. The ensemble has gained fame far beyond the borders of the Hanseatic city through numerous guest performances, making it Germany’s flagship ballet company. In his first year as the Artistic Director, Demis Volpi will expand the repertoire by presenting works of Pina Bausch, Aszure Barton, William Forsythe and Justin Peck that have never yet been seen in Hamburg. Three of Volpi's own works will also be featured.

In the 2024/25 season, the Hamburg Ballet will present more than 80 performances on the stage of the Hamburg State Opera, in addition to guest appearances in Baden-Baden, Germany, and other European cities. The tradition of lecture demonstrations (Ballett-Werkstatt), providing the audience with fascinating insights into the creative and rehearsal work of a ballet ensemble, will continue under Demis Volpi. The current season marks the 50th anniversary of the dance festival "Hamburg Ballet Days" and, consequently, the 50th edition of the Nijinsky Gala, featuring celebrated stars from around the world alongside the Hamburg ensemble.

The School of the Hamburg Ballet, founded by John Neumeier in 1978, has become an integral part of the company and is housed in the Ballet Center in Hamburg Hamm, including its affiliated boarding school. A significant number of today's ensemble received their training at the ballet school.

Performances

Piano

David Fray

Pianist

David Fray

Described as "Perhaps the most inspired, certainly the most original Bach player of his generation," David Fray maintains an active career as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician worldwide. He has collaborated with leading orchestras and distinguished conductors such as Marin Alsop, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Asher Fisch, Daniele Gatti, Paavo Järvi , Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Jaap van Zweden among others. Orchestral highlights in Europe have included performances with the London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Bayerische Rundfunk, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester, Salzburg Mozarteum, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France and Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris. David Fray made his US debut in 2009 with the Cleveland Orchestra which was followed by performances with the Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Recital debuts followed in Carnegie Hall, at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and the Chicago Symphony Hall.

In 2014-15, Mr. Fray will perform with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London Philharmonic, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Tonhalle Zurich, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Among this season’s recital appearances are concerts at the Theatre de Champs Élysées in Paris, the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas. In Chamber music Mr. Fray will partner again with Renaud Capuçon playing sonatas by Bach and Beethoven.

Mr. Fray holds multiple awards including the prestigious German Echo Klassik Prize for Instrumentalist of the Year and the Young Talent Award from the Ruhr Piano Festival. In 2008 he was named Newcomer of the Year by the BBC Music Magazine. At the 2004 Montreal International Music Competition, Mr. Fray received both the Second Grand Prize and the Prize for the best interpretation of a Canadian work.

An exclusive Warner Classics artist, David Fray recorded his first CD with works of Bach and Boulez to great critical acclaim. The disc was praised as the "best record of the year" by the London Times and Le Soir. Mr. Fray’s second release was a recording of Bach keyboard concerti with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen awarded by the German Recording Academy followed by Schubert’s Moments Musicaux and Impromptus. Mr. Fray’s most recent releases include a Schubert recital, Mozart piano concerti with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden and Bach Partitas Nos. 2 and 6 along with Toccata in C minor. In 2008 the TV network ARTE +7 presented a documentary on David Fray directed by the renowned French director Bruno Monsaingeon. The film "David Fray records Johann Sebastian Bach" was subsequently released on DVD.

David Fray started taking piano lessons at the age of four. He furthered his studies with Jacques Rouvier at the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Paris where he currently resides.

Performances

photo: Marco Borggreve

Cast

Christopher Evans

Performances

Ida Praetorius

Performances

Lennard Giesenberg

Performances

Alessandro Frola

Performances

Charlotte Larzelere

Performances

Madoka Sugai

Performances

Jacopo Bellussi

Performances

Florian Pohl

Performances

Matias Oberlin

Performances

Filipe Rettore

Performances

Francesco Cortese

Performances

Hamburg Ballett

Performances

David Fray

Performances