Concerto DSCH
Choreography
Alexei RatmanskyMusic
Dmitri Shostakovich
Program Note
Program Note
Having premiered two recent major ballets by Alexei Ratmansky, the world’s leading classical choreographer – Symphonic Dances and The Fairy’s Kiss – MCB now presents one of his most acclaimed earlier works. Concerto DSCH (the initials reflect the German spelling of Dmitri Shostakovich, its composer) is a seething rush of energy, lyricism, and brilliant classical invention overlain with a contemporary sparkle and bounce. At its premiere in 2008, Alastair Macaulay wrote in The New York Times: “Its dances pour forth in a continuous stream of galvanizing excitement and affectionate intimacy...The most captivating classical ballet I have seen in years.”
Ballet Credits
Ballet Credits
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Dmitri Shostakovich*
Staged by Tatiana and Alexei Ratmansky
Costume Design by Holly Hynes
Lighting Design by Mark Stanley
*Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 102. By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. publisher and copyright owner.
Miami City Ballet premiere: April 6, 2018 at Kravis Center; West Palm Beach, FL.
Shostakovich’s use of his actual, coded signature, DSCH, was the ultimate symbol of his constant ambivalence between allowed artistic production and personal expression. He often used subtle coding and language in his music to convey his inner turmoil and opposition to the Soviet regime, and to assert his identity and existence in a repressive environment. This signature often appears in moments of darkness, tragedy, and despair in his compositions.
