Staatsoper Hamburg - Stück-Besetzung: Mixed Bill with works by Pina Bausch, Hans van Manen, Demis Volpi and Justin Peck

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

Conductor

Roc Fargas

Conductor

Roc Fargas

Roc Fargas i Castells, originally from Barcelona, is a scholarship holder of the Conducting Forum of the German Music Council. After studying musicology at the University of Cambridge, he completed a master’s degree in historical performance practice and orchestral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Prof. Sian Edwards. He received prestigious scholarships from Banco Sabadell, the British Spanish Society, and the Royal Academy of Music. He then moved to Germany to complete his Konzertexamen in orchestral conducting under the guidance of Prof. Nicolás Pasquet and Ekhart Wycik at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar.

Fargas conducted remarkable performances of Spanish repertoire in the United Kingdom and India in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes. He also premiered the opera "María Soliña" by Nacho Mañá in Spain. In April 2022, he led the premiere of six new compositions as part of a contemporary music project with the Franz Liszt University of Music and the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Since 2023, Fargas has been traveling regularly to Ukraine to support the current situation with music, bringing a bit of joy and normality. He conducted the Kyiv Camerata at the Kyiv Philharmonic and at the opening of the Kharkiv Music Festival 2024, as well as in a joint project with the Germany-based Ukrainian orchestra Mriya.

Fargas has conducted orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Jena Philharmonie, Anhalt Philharmonie Dessau, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Philharmonie Südwestfalen, Erzgebirgische Philharmonie, Thüringer Philharmonie, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Sinfonia Rotterdam, and the Hradec Králové Philharmonic. He has assisted conductors such as Juanjo Mena, Sir Mark Elder, Vitali Alekseenok, and Simon Gaudenz at the Bamberger Symphoniker, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Landesjugendorchester Hessen, and others. As a Baroque violist, Fargas has worked with distinguished ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium and the Bach Choir. A former member of the London Symphony Chorus, Choeur de l’Orchestre de Paris and the Kammerchor Weimar, Fargas has performed with renowned artists such as Sir Simon Rattle, Klaus Mäkelä and Ton Koopman, performing at prestigious venues worldwide.

Photo © Dominique Wollniok

Find further information about Roc Fargas here.

Performances

THE TIMES ARE RACING

photo: Dominique Wollniok

Orchester

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg