In co-production with the Opéra de Toulouse and the Opéra-Comique de Paris, the Liceu welcomes the return of the Ballet du Capitole to recreate Gluck's music with gesture and sensitivity, accompanied by Le Concert des Nations under the direction of Jordi Savall.
In a co-production between the Théâtre de l’Opéra National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Théâtre national de l’Opéra-Comique de Paris, and the Liceu, the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse returns to the stage to recreate, through movement, the delicate and nuanced world of Christoph Willibald von Gluck's music. This production, conducted by maestro Jordi Savall, offers a unique immersion into the composer's repertoire. Renowned choreographers Edward Clug and Ángel Rodríguez lead the company in bringing these impressive scores to life.
Edward Clug choreographs Don Juan, while Ángel Rodríguez takes on Sémiramis. Clug, born in Romania (Beius, 1973), escaped Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist repression by enrolling in a dance school. After becoming a soloist at the National Drama Theatre of Maribor (Slovenia), he created his first choreography in 1996. Later appointed director of the ballet company, he has built an international career, working with prestigious companies such as Ballet Zürich, the Royal Ballet of Flanders, the Aalto Ballet Essen, the National Ballet of Ukraine, and Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), among others.
The choreographer Ángel Rodríguez, born in Madrid, soloist and principal dancer of the Ballet del Gran Teatre de Ginebra and the Compañía Nacional de Danza, created his first choreography in 1999 for CND2. He has created works for renowned companies such as the Compañía Nacional de Danza (CND), the Tanz Company of Innsbruck, the Ballet of Augsburg, Introdans, the Gyori Ballet of Hungary, the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, the Ballet Carmen Roche, etc.
Jordi Savall, a renowned viol player and conductor, has been a key figure in the renewal of the interpretation of early music. With this production, he fulfills his desire to venture into the world of dance through the music that Gluck wrote for Don Juan and Sémiramis. Don Juan, written in 1761, marked a turning point in ballet, offering for the first time a coherent narrative where music serves the expression. Sémiramis, composed the following year, consolidates this revolution in choreographic dramaturgy.
Le Concert des Nations and Jordi Savall, Ángel Rodríguez, Edward Clug, and the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse combine their energies to recover all the colors of these scores and the expressive power of these works. A performance that claims the modernity and evocative power of C. W. Gluck, inviting the audience to rediscover its emotional and narrative intensity.
Gluck and ballet-pantomime
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) was a composer who significantly influenced the transformation of 18th-century music, both in opera and ballet. His desire to renew the genre is evident in Don Juan (1761) and Sémiramis (1762), two ballet-pantomimes in collaboration with choreographer Gasparo Angiolini and librettist Ranieri de’ Calzabigi. These works marked a break from traditional ballet, where dance was often an ornamental element, turning it into a narrative tool with strong expressive power.
This innovative approach influenced the later development of ballet as a dramatic art form and paved the way for the reforms Gluck would implement in opera. Don Juan, based on Molière's work Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre (1665), stands out for its cohesive dramaturgical structure, while Sémiramis, with a libretto by Voltaire, continues this exploration of the relationship between music and movement.
The program will begin with the orchestral suite of Iphigénie en Aulide (1774), a work from his Parisian period that will be presented in concert version. This piece will pave the way for the two ballets, highlighting Gluck's evolution in the search for a total integration of music, theatre, and dance.
Festival Dansa Metropolitana
Sémiramis / Don Juan by Le Ballet de l’Opéra National du Capitole is included in the programming of the Dansa Metropolitana 2025 festival, which, from March 13 to 30, brings dance to theaters and public spaces in twelve cities of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. With this proposal, the Gran Teatre del Liceu makes its debut as a new venue for the festival and is part of the collection of theaters and streets that allow the community to enjoy dance.
With the support of:
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