A CHINESE ‘HOMECOMING’
Austrian composer’s masterpiece based on Tang Dynasty poems will come to a Beijing stage in May as a ballet by John Neumeier. Chen Nan reports.
John Neumeier, American ballet choreographer and director
John Neumeier has created more than 150 ballets since he took the position as Hamburg Ballet’s director in 1973. Among them, more than 10 ballets were choreographed to the music of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). However, he had never approached the Austrian composer’s masterpiece, The Song of the Earth.
Mahler wrote the work in 1908, inspired by a book of Chinese Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907) poetry translated by German poet Hans Bethge.
“When I was a very young dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet, I was fortunate to be in a production of Kenneth Macmillan’s version of The Song of the Earth. This experience was great and inspiring,” says Neumeier, now 78.
“Although I continued to choreograph and to develop my career, I felt that I could never touch The Song of the Earth because Macmillan’s version was so successful.
“Fifty years have passed and I am very fortunate that I am still alive, working and having a deep love for Mahler,” he adds.
In 2014, N eu meier was invited by his longtime friend Brigitte Lefevre, the former director of Paris Opera Ballet, to choreograph a work as the finale of her time at the Paris ballet company.
His ballet production The Song of the Earth was premiered in 2015 by the Paris Opera Ballet at its home theater in Paris. Last year, the ballet was staged in Hamburg, Germany by Hamburg Ballet.
From May 12 to 14, The Song of the Earth will make its debut in China, being presented by the National Ballet of China at Beijing’s Tianqiao Theater.
Four years ago, Neumeier collaborated with the troupe for the first time to interpret The Little Mermaid, paying tribute to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, according to Feng Ying, president of the National Ballet of China.
“Our first collaboration was so rewarding for our dancers and choreographers that we invited him again and we are honored that we are able to present this important work of Neumeier,” says Feng.
When Mahler created The Song of the Earth, the composer was in a very difficult moment of his life.
He had lost his beloved daughter, who was 6. While he was still in mourning, he resigned from the Vienna Court Opera as principal director and he was diagnosed with a very serious heart condition. He knew his lifespan was limited.
“These Chinese poems seemed to exactly touch the emotional moment of Mahler’s life at that time,” says Neumeier.
Mahler chose seven of the Chinese poems to be lyrics for The Song of the Earth, a symphony for tenor and alto (or baritone) voice and orchestra.
“We could imagine that these Chinese poems, in a sense, are like music, which could be heard and interpreted very differently by who was reading the poem or by the same person who was reading the poem at different times of his life,” says Neumeier.
“The deep emotion, through the translation, was deeply impressive for Mahler. In the end, he rewrote the poem himself, particularly in the last part of the symphony, which is called Farewell.”
As for the general theme of the work, the work is “the realization that human life is limited”, the choreographer says.
“It’s only a certain time for us to live on this earth, to dance and to sing on this earth,” Neumeier says.
He adds that in the third and fourth movements of the work, Mahler’s portrayal reminded listeners of memories, such as drinking tea and discovering young girls picking flowers.
“The earth will exist much longer than we. If we are lucky, we have a hundred years, he says in the text,” Neumeier says.
What makes the performance of the National Ballet of China “completely original” is that Neumeier combined The Song of the Earth with a work he created in 1998, called Spring and Fall.
“The last text of the poem speaks of the fact that ‘I will leave this Earth but spring will return eternally, eternally, eternally, eternally’. It’s the ending of the poem, which is the most touching part for me. This reminds me of Spring and Fall, which connects with Mahler’s final movement,” Neumeier says, adding that it will be the first time that the ballet will be performed in this way, done specifically for the National Ballet of China.
“This ballet is like a poem — it is not a story you can tell your friend after watching it. If you see this ballet twice, you will have two different feelings,” he adds.
“For me, to choreograph is not to make connections between steps, or an interesting combination of movements. It’s to create a world,” Neumeier says.
Meanwhile, just as what he did in The Little Mermaid, the choreographer directs his own lighting, set and costume designs for The Song of the Earth.
“When I was very young, for a long time, I thought I would become a painter. Then the idea of dance became stronger. The idea of choreography became important.
“Very often, particularly, when I am uncertain about the vision which I have, I feel it’s important to do everything myself.”
For me, to choreograph is not to make connections between steps, or an interesting combination of movements. It’s to create a world.”
Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn