Roberto Bolle starred in HK Arts Festival
The only ballet programme in this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival was “Caravaggio”, a two-act ballet featuring the renowned Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle. Bolle, a star of La Scala in Milan and a cultural icon of Italy, just performed in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Milan last month.
“Caravaggio” was originally created by the Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti in 2009 for the Berlin State Ballet. Last year this two-act ballet, which lasts for two hours, was restaged in Milan by ARTEDANZA, Bolle’s production agency, starring Bolle as the famous Italian Baroque painter. Caravaggio was well-known for his signature technique of “chiaroscuro”, which involved stark contrasts between light and dark, creating a sense of depth and drama.
Besides Bolle, there are five major roles performed by dancers from different ballet companies as well as a 20-strong corps de ballet flown in from Italy. Maria Khoreva from the Mariinsky Ballet is The Light, Anastasia Matvienko is The Dark, and Ekaterine Surmava from the Dortmund Ballet is The Beauty. The two male soloists – Ildar Gaynutdinov and Gioacchino Starace – perhaps symbolise the conflicting forces in the artist’s mind.
This ballet is not a straightforward narrative of Caravaggio’s major life events. Bigonzetti instead aims for an abstract representation of his colourful life by means of numerous duets and solos. Bigonzetti’s choreography is generally effective though occasionally repetitive. Some of the better duets have an emotional power.
Act 1, the more successful of the two acts, shows Caravaggio enjoying a good life in Rome, drawing inspiration from his surroundings and experiences. The ensemble dances of the townspeople are quite vibrant, alternating with the solos and duets. In the middle, Caravaggio is seen dancing with a Gypsy woman dressed in purple. The end of this act is very theatrical. A giant golden picture frame descends onto the stage while a large crimson curtain drops to the floor. This is meant to depict Caravaggio’s murder of a man in a street fight in 1606. His vivid blood-red strokes often appeared in his paintings.
The golden frame remains in Act 2 which depicts the artist bringing his inspirations and life experiences to life in his famous paintings. Some of the lighting effects are ingenious. In the beginning of the act, Caravaggio dances a male duet with a male soloist, which is quite striking. After his death, he is reunited with The Light dancer who probably symbolises hope. Despite some memorable moments, this whole act is very gloomy and heavy going.
On the opening night, Roberto Bolle was magnificent in the title role and shone in Bigonzetti’s choreography. It is difficult to believe that he is 50 already. Anastasia Matvienko was superb as The Darkness, while Ekaterine Surmava impressed as The Beauty. The whole cast’s dancing was strong. Bruno Moretti’s music is in the style of Monteverdi’s music.
Overall, “Caravaggio” is a good but slightly uneven work of ballet theatre.
Photo – courtesy of HK Arts Festival
Dancers – Roberto Bolle, Maria Khoreva
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