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direzione artistica Helgi Tomasson
After more than 30 years a return to Spoleto to show the public and critics the versatility, artistic qualities and athleticism of this classical ballet company recognized to internationally as one of the most dynamic in the world.
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principals Joan Boada, Frances Chung, Jaime Garcia Castilla, Mathilde Froustey, Tiit Helimets, Luke Ingham, Davit Karapetyan, Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz, Pascal Molat, Carlos Quenedit, Sofiane Sylve, Yuan Yuan Tan, Sarah Van Patten
soloists** Dores André, Sasha De Sola, Shane Wuerthner**
corps de ballet Elizabeth Powell, Myles Thatcher
Artistic director, principal choreographer, director San Francisco Ballet School Helgi Tomasson
executive director Glenn McCoy
Italian premiere and exclusive Spoleto57 Festival dei 2Mondi
FROM FOREIGN LANDS
choreography Alexei Ratmansky
music Moritz Moszkowski Suite for Orchestra 'From Foreign Lands' Op. 23
Colleen Atwood costumes
lights Mark Stanley
Premiere: March 1, 2013, San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House
The premiere of _From Foreign Lands _was made possible through the support of the Byron R. Meyer Choreographers Fund of the San Francisco Ballet Endowment Foundation.
Music: _Suite for Orchestra "From Foreign Lands" Op. 23 _by Moritz Moszkowski. Costume creation, Seamless Costumes, Toronto, Ontario.
Using costumes and variations on the theme of folk dances, From Foreign Lands, created by American Ballet Theatre artist-in-residence Alexei Ratmansky, takes audiences on a "poetic journey through Europe" (New York Times). Created to Moszkowski's joyful score, the choreography includes steps that allude to traditional dances from Russia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and Hungary.
VARIATIONS FOR TWO COUPLES
choreography Hans van Manen
music Benjamin Britten, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, Astor Piazzolla
Keso Dekker costumes
lights Bert Dalhuysen
Premiere: February 15, 2012, Dutch National Ballet, Het Muziektheater; Amsterdam
Music: Benjamin Britten Andante from the String Quartet in F. Music used in accordance with the European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Faber Music. Ltd., exclusive publisher and copyright holder. Einojuhani Rautavaara_ Mvt. "Kopsin Jonas" from Pelimannit (The Fiddlers), Op. 1_
Music used in arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., to Boosey & Hawkes company, exclusive representative in U.S., Canada and Mexico for Fennica Gehrman. J.S. Bach, in arrangement with Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer "Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen" from the St. John Passion, BWV 245. Music used in arrangement with Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, exclusive publisher and copyright holder. Astor Piazzolla, arranged from Bob Zimmerman Melody in la menor (Canto de Octubre). Music used in arrangement with Tonos Music oHG, exclusive publisher and copyright holder.
Variations for Two Couples by Hans van Manen, resident choreographer at the Dutch National Ballet, made its American debut on Jan. 2, 2014 at the San Francisco Ballet's opening night. Critic Rachel Howard described the choreography as follows, "shadow lighting, minimal costumes and tense relationships to better embody the challenging score."
VOICES OF SPRING
choreography Sir Frederick Ashton
music Johann Strauss II
filmed from** Grant Coyle**
costumes Julia Trevelyan Oman
World Premiere (ofOpera The Bat): December 31, 1977, The Royal Opera, Royal Opera House; Covent Garden, London
Royal Ballet Premiere: April 2, 1981, Ambassador Auditorium; Los Angeles, California
Premiere San Francisco Ballet: January 19, 2012, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California.
Music: Johann Strauss II Frühlingsstimmen Waltzes, Op.410, written in 1883. Costumes made from Nancy Endy, Taisia Nikonishchenko and Nina Parker.
Sir Frederick Ashton created this jubilant pas de deux in 1977 as part of a production of The Bat for the Royal Opera House. Danced to the notes of a brilliant waltz by Johann Strauss, _Voices of Spring _is an elegant and often comic glimpse of Ashton's unparalleled musicality, as well as a showcase for the two dancers who display impeccable technique and grace.
7 FOR EIGHT
choreography Helgi Tomasson
music Johann Sebastian Bach
costumes Sandra Woodall
lights David Finn
Premiere: Feb. 26, 2004, San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House
The premiere in 2004 was made possible through the support of Mr. Thomas J. Perkins and The Edward E. Hills Fund.
Music: Concerto No. 5 BWV 1056 (2nd & 3rd movements) for keyboard, Concerto No. 4 BWV (1st and 2nd movements) for keyboard, Concerto BWV 1065 (2nd movement) arranged for 2 harpsichords, Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052 (2nd & 1st movements) for keyboard. Costumes made from Birgit Pfeffer, Palo Alto, California.
Helgi Tomasson's elegant_ 7 for Eight_ has become a cornerstone of San Francisco Ballet's repertoire since its debut in 2004. On the occasion of the premiere, the San Francisco Chronicle declared that _7 for Eight _"takes [Tomasson] to a new level of developing his two artistic sides--the classical and the expressive--which come together...his choreography transcends understated, sonorous poetry."
He is in his 30th season from artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet, and has been responsible for growing the company so from it is recognized to internationally, appreciated for its uniqueness and great variety of repertoire.
Discovered from Jerome Robbins in his native Iceland, he left for the United States on a scholarship to New York's School of American Ballet. Later, he was part of such companies as Joffrey Ballet, Harkness Ballet, and New York City Ballet, where he became one of the most famous principal dancers.
Tomasson has created more than 40 choreographies; numerous awards include Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, honorary degree from the Juilliard School, and Grand Knight with Star of the Order of the Falcon, Iceland's most prestigious honor.
In 1995 Tomasson created UNited We Dance: an International Festival based to San Francisco, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter.
In 2008, he ferried the company to its 75th season, which included the New Works Festival, where he presented 10 world premieres by as many celebrated choreographers. In 2012, he received the Dance USA Honor Award for his outstanding leadership in the field of dance.
He is also director of the San Francisco Ballet School.
As America's oldest professional company, the San Francisco Ballet has a long and rich "number one" tradition since its founding in 1933. It premiered in the United States such productions as _Swan Lake _and Nutcracker, as well as the first Coppélia of the 20th century. The San Francisco Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States. In 2005, the company won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award in the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Dance" and, in 2006, was the first non-European company to be voted "Company of the Year" in Dance Europe magazine's annual readers' poll.
Recent major performances include the American premiere of John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid, which was broadcast worldwide, and in the television series on PBS Great Performances the documentary "Dance in America." The company regularly tours both in the United States and in the world's most prestigious theaters.
In 2013, the San Francisco Ballet performed to New York at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, a performance that resulted in the company being called a "national treasure" by the New York Times.
The 2015 season will mark the 30th anniversary of Helgi Tomasson's artistic direction.