Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No 5, in four movements, opens with four striking notes, three short followed by one long, a recurring motif in what is the most recognizable of works. It has been said that with those four notes Beethoven sought to portray fate knocking at Man’s door. For American choreographer Garrett Smith, this sublime music is a hymn to individuality and to taking charge of one’s fate. “I am inspired by people who have the bravery to fully show their true selves,” he explains, “especially within communities or societies that impose barriers and constraints. This ballet takes a look at the beauty of our uniqueness and the excitement of trying something new, of turning over a new leaf and shedding superficial layers in order to put on one’s true face in broad daylight, without fear.”
Structured in four movements that form a succession of different colors and rhythms, Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 was presented for the first time in 1813, during the terrible time of the Napoleonic Wars. Characterized by Richard Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”, Symphony No 7, dionysian in inspiration, fascinates both in its rigorous classicism and its sheer energy. The German choreographer Uwe Scholz (1958-2004), who was director of dance at the Leipzig Opera, relished creating dances to great symphonic works. During his short lifetime, he was responsible for some 100 choreographies for leading European companies. His choreographic adaptation of the Seventh, of great complexity and originally created for the Stuttgart Ballet, is considered his masterwork. It displays his finesse, his inventiveness and his exceptional musicality, and the work is now part of Les Grands Ballets’ repertoire.
