Programme:

STRING SEXTET
Ángel CORELLA, choreography
Peter Ilyitch TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893), músic
“Souvenir de Florence” Op. 70 String Sextet, 1892
FULL PREMIERE
The only string sextet composed by Tchaikovsky offers music full of melodies, harmonies and enchanting rhythms, inspired by the beautiful city of Florence. The score is joyful and vigorous, an accumulation of energy that has served as inspiration for Ángel Corella to create his first choreographical piece for the Corella Ballet. This work is structured into four movements. In the first, the choreographer introduces the audience to Florence, making them participants in the excellence of a city enriched by its fascinating history.
Through the contrast between the process of the everyday, the second movement shows the beauty and the sensuality that embrace it. in the third, the visitor feels surrounded by the vivacious and impetuous joy conveyed by its inhabitants; completely imbued by that vertiginous euphoria, the visitor departs the city with the feeling of having tasted its timeless enchantment. The piece brings together the purified technique of the men and the delicacy and elegance of the ballerinas, creating a piece full of charm and harmony, which will persist in the memory like a souvenir of the enchanting Italian city.

VIII
Christopher WHEELDON ©, choreography
Resposition by Ángel CORELLA
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913 – 1976), music
Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge, Op.10
Corella Ballet agraeix la col·laboració de CORNEJO
SPANISH PREMIERE
Choreography inspired by the historical drama stirred up by Henry VIII renouncing his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in favour of Anne Boleyn, who would become his second wife and who, like the first, would fail – but rather more dramatically – to give the king a male heir for the throne of England. This emotional triangle served as the basis for Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography, which uses the psychological traits of the characters involved, transforming the dancers into actors on the stage. In Wheeldon’s work, stage settings, gestures and resources acquire greater importance and become harmonised thanks to Britten’s vibrant score. The whole composition underlines the personality of the three protagonists and transforms this ballet into one of the most impacting of the contemporary repertoire.

FANCY FREE
Jerome ROBBINS, choreography
Reposition by Judith FUGATE
Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918 – 1990), music
Oliver SMITH, stage construction
Herman CORNEJO, first sailor
Ángel CORELLA, second sailor
Iain MACKEY, third sailor
Adyaris ALMEIDA, Carmen CORELLA and Natalia TAPIA, girls
Reposition autoritzed by The Robbins Rights Trust

Jerome Robbins created Fancy Free while on a coast-to-coast tour with the American Ballet Theatre. It was during this journey that he enjoyed a close correspondence with a young, at the time unknown, composer Leonard Bernstein. The premiere of this ballet at New York’s Metropolitan in April 1944 was a runaway success and raised the profile of young talents from the world of dance, choreography, music and stage design. It was such a success that shortly afterwards Fancy Free became the musical On The Town that would later be made popular on the big screen by Gene Kelly. The plot line is simple: three sailors dock in New York on a hot summer’s day. Taking advantage of their shore leave, they meet two girls and a competition starts among them to win the girls over. The bar brawl is a device that helps the dancers show off their talent, each with specific and such stunning variations that have made this ballet one of the most acclaimed works by Robbins.

Who perseveres wins. No-one knows this better than Ángel Corella, one of the world’s leading classical dancers. His achieved his dream of reaching the dance top ten over a decade ago and last year saw the creation of his much longed-for dance company in Castilla y León. The group, which this year is making its debut at Peralada, also brings with it another of Corella’s dreams come true: the premiere of his first choreography conceived by him, great news for the world of dance. Following a season at Madrid’s Teatro Real and a spell at Barcelona’s Tívoli and Gran Teatre del Liceu, the company, directed by the acclaimed dancer from Madrid, has arrived in the Empordà brimming with new ideas. This is the strength of perseverance. This is the strength of Ángel Corella.