Cyrano de Bergerac
14 Pictures
"With Choreographer Jiří Bubeníček About His Cyrano"
As an experienced choreographer, you have a number of successful dance adaptations of famous literary works behind you. What made you choose Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand this time?
The story of Cyrano appealed to me a long time ago, when my former professor Helena Kazárová took me to the National Theatre, where she did movement collaboration for a production of Cyrano de Bergerac. Since then, more than twenty years ago, I have not forgotten this play. Even though I wasn’t a choreographer at the time, of course, I couldn’t get the idea that it would be a fine subject for a ballet out of my head. And when I received an invitation from artistic director Mário Radačovský, I thought of this story.
What fascinates you most about Cyrano?
It’s the complexity of Cyrano’s character. A poet and a fighter, a hero who excels in swordsmanship, while at the same time being a romantic lyric poet who dies without sentiment or remorse. This multi-faceted nature along with the beautiful love story offers wide-ranging scope for a ballet treatment.
How did you approach the original story in your dance adaptation?
In general, I like to choose stories that have not been adapted for ballet before or if they have, then only rarely. I stick closely to the book, with which I often work in rehearsals. I consider it important for the story to be comprehensible to the audience. We are not placing it in another time or a different situation. On the contrary, we are going back to the original concept. Both the costumes and the set evoke Cyrano’s time, although it is not, of course, a literal historical reconstruction, but more of an impression of this romantic era. The entire composition of the production is important. With my wife Nadina, with whom I prepared the dramaturgy, we decided on baroque music, including some parts with solo soprano or solo guitarist on stage, and period-inspired costumes. A production novelty is the inclusion of an actor who will recite selected adapted verses of Rostand's play as part of his role.
Is your staging based primarily on the poetic and philosophical dimensions of Cyrano’s character or are you focusing more on the love triangle?
Both. Our interpretation is based primarily on Cyrano’s point of view, so he is on stage a great deal of the time. But at the same time, the love triangle with Roxane and Christian also forms an essential plot line and was one of the main reasons I chose this story.
What music did you choose to accompany your Cyrano?
We were looking for period music, i.e. the Baroque, which would draw us into the romantic atmosphere of the story. In addition to Bach’s music and the works of other composers, we are also using compositions by Jean-Baptiste Lully, who was a star dancer and court composer at the French court. He composed music for Louis XIV himself and he can be said to have been one of the founders of the ballet technique of court dances. I am delighted that the music is to be interpreted live by the orchestra of National Theatre Brno under the baton of conductor Jakub Klecker.
Your previous works such as Anita Berber, Processen and Carmen put great emphasis on a kind of psychological probe into the inner motivations of the characters. Is the same
to be true of Cyrano?
When creating the choreography and interpretation, I always try to place myself inside the role and the situation in which the given character finds themself or what they are experiencing at the given moment. I believe that we will be able to captivate the audience not merely with beautiful music and interesting choreography, but also with an insight into the psyche of the main protagonists. Although I worked with Rostand’s story, I wasn’t literally bound by it. The whole play was an inspiration to create something new. Each scene is conceived as a separate dance image, and together they create a complex whole.
You are collaborating on the production with members of your family. What benefits does that provide?
It is definitely a big plus. I have produced many ballets with my brother Otto, who created the sets. As a former dancer he understands the specific requirements of the art of dance. My wife Nadina, who designed the costumes, and I understand each other extremely well and we complement each other when we are preparing the interpretation and choreography at home and in the ballet studio. All the artistic components – music, text, costumes, set design, lighting, choice of dancers – must fit together precisely for the result to be convincing.
How did your collaboration with our dancers go?
There was a good atmosphere in the hall. I’m delighted that the dancers were willing to try new techniques. I always place the emphasis not merely on the purity of performance of the dance steps, but also on aspects of expression and acting. My choreography has its own specific style which can be challenging at first. It’s like learning a new language. It is not easy at the beginning to learn to speak another language, and the same is also true when you are putting new choreography together, though I tried to work closely with everyone and create choreography “tailored” to the specific performers.
What audience experience would you like to convey with your new ballet?
I have always loved stories and I love to bring them to the stage. When creating a new ballet, I always immerse myself in the given story for several months. It becomes a matter of the heart for me. I live every scene, I live and breathe with every individual character and with the dancers. I will be delighted if the audience also likes this ballet and experiences the story along with us and the wonderful people at the Brno Ballet Company.
Interview with Jiří Bubeníček conducted by Karel Littera
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
Full-length Story Ballet inspired by a Play by Edmond Rostand
Ballet in Two Acts
Created for National Theater, Ballet, Drama, Orchestra and Opera in Brno, Czech Republic
Premiere 27.09.2024 at the Janáček Theatre, Brno, Czech Republic
Music: George Frideric Händel, Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Vivaldi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music Dramaturgy: Jiří Bubeníček, Nadina Cojocaru
Music Arrangements: Jiří Bubeníček, Nadina Cojocaru
Conductor: Jakub Klecker
Libretto, Concept and Dramaturgy: Jiří Bubeníček, Nadina Cojocaru
Choreography: Jiří Bubeníček
Set Design: Otto Bubeníček
Costumes Design: Nadina Cojocaru
Lighting Design: Jiří Bubeníček, Petr Kozumplík
Choreography Assistants: Nadina Cojocaru, Ivan Příkaský, Ivan Popov
Life music, acting and singing:
Actor: Vojtěch Blahuta / Jakub Svojanovský - Drama of the National Theater Brno.
Guitarist: Adam Trunečka
Opera Singer: Romana Kružíková
Cast:
Cyrano de Bergerac: Shoma Ogasawara
Kristian de Neuvillette: João Gomes
Roxana: Anna Yeh
De Guiche: Ilia Mironov
Valvert: Manuel Romero
Regueneau: Jacopo ladimarco
Lisa: Izabela Gracíková
Duena: Adela Kulíšek
Le Bret: Arthur Abram
Capuchin: Bence Kaszab
Actor, Montfleury: Vojtěch Blahuta / Jakub Svojanovský
Guitarist: Adam Trunečka
Opera Singer: Romana Kružíková
and Ballet Ensemble of the National Theatre Brno
Cyrano de Bergerac
14 Pictures
Designing costumes for the ballet is about making all the characters memorable for the audience. The message communicated by the characters has to appear in the costumes. I love exploring the limits of what is possible in my designs, and I often try to combine the contemporary with the historical. I want each character to be special and the costumes to communicate my ideas to the audience. It is like having a parallel story that goes hand in hand with the choreography and with the interpretation of the piece. The costumes blend historical and modern styles. I chose historically lavish costumes to evoke a romantic atmosphere. The first part of the ballet features elaborate attire inspired by the Baroque, while the second part transitions to simpler, more minimalist, designs reflecting the impact of war.
Nadina Cojocaru
PREMIERE & THE TEAM Photo © Pavel Hejný
BACK STAGE Photo © Kristýna Housková
AFTER PREMIERE Photo © Jiří Bubeníček
ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL AND THE THEATER Photo © Jiří Bubeníček
THE TEAM Photo © Jiří Bubeníček
AUDI Photo © Jiří Bubeníček
Art týden: Cyrano de Bergerac v NdB
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