17 VII

2 hr. 16 min.

Recorded at the Zurich Opera House (Opernhaus Zürich) 2020.

Choreography and staging – Christian Spuck

Performers: Ballett Zürich, Junior Ballett, Philharmonia Zürich conducted by Robertas Šervenikas.

The Sleeping Beauty – the quintessential classical ballet, the crême de la crême of Russian ballets admired around the world. Marius Petipa’s original 1890 choreography is still being staged today.
The show with contemporary choreography, which will be shown at the Gardens, was created primarily with the youngest audience in mind. It has fairy-tale decorations and costumes. It is full of situational humor, keeping the attention of the children’s audience. But this does not mean that it has been deprived of the deeper meaning contained in Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, readable only by adults.

However one may judge our deviation from the unwritten order to exclude works by Russian artists from the repertoire of Polish theaters, cinemas and concert halls, one should not forget that Pyotr Tchaikovsky became a victim of his compatriots, who had power over him. Specifically, the college court, whose chairman had connections to the tsar.
Today it can be said openly that Tchaikovsky was a homosexual, but in those days homosexuality was stigmatized. Discrediting Tchaikovsky in the eyes of the nation, however, was not an option. His talent was undeniable and the adoration of the public was immense. So it was officially reported that Tchaikovsky died of cholera, an epidemic of which was breaking out in Russia at the time. In reality, he was forced to commit suicide.