Professor: KRISTIAN ALM; Woyzeck: PHILIP CURRELL, Foto: Erik Berg

The Norwegian National Ballet has done it again!!!

With the world premiere of Christian Spuck´Woyzeck as ballet, The Norwegian National Ballet and its audience have got a fantastic narrative full-lenght high quality ballet present from the chorerographer Christian Spuck, which will stay as one of the companys hits, just as Glen Tetley´s outstanding The Tempest – Stormen, (1979. Oslo 1980) which has been their visiting card for 30 years. Woyzeck is extraordinary, unique, a strong performance.

The company can guest with Christian Spuck´ Woyzeck all over the world, and they can even lent/rent out the costumes and the scenography to other ballet houses. BRAVO!!!! I hope, when the company shall guest abroad will present Woyzeck as one of the ballets in the repertoire they are presenting

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It is a pleasure to observe that this is a result of balletchief Espen Giljane´s international contactnett, as when he started and introduced Paul Lightfoot and Sol León in the beginning of his periode as balletchief in Oslo. Woyzeck is a compliment to the company and its outstanding dancers whis is filling up this demanding galleryof big and in smaller roles, and a compliment to Espen Giljane.

Woyzeck: PHILIP CURRELL, Foto: Erik Berg

One of the most spectacular and outstanding young dancers in the company, Philip Currell, was playing, dancing and performing the leading role as Woyzeck. I was amazed and feeling very privilliged. I know that Currell is a big talent, but this performing is outstanding, extraordinary. Woyzeck was followed closely up by his wife Marie, with feeling and dynamic performed by Eugenie Skilnand, another of the companys young ballet stars. Richard Suttie was a brilliant Tambourmajor.  As the son of Woyzeck and Marie we enjoyed the very young Ludvig Støvind.

The casting is good, in other roles we enjoyed Per Andreas B. Hovdahl as Andres, Woyzecks friend. Kristian Ruutu, who  on week ago received the Dance Critic Parize for 2010-2011 for his role as Mercuti, added a new role to his repertoire as the Kaptein. Chistiane Sá performed Margareth, Maries friend. Other outstanding characters were Ole Willy Falkhaugen as a demonic doctor and Kristian Alm as the Professor.

Marie: EUGENIE SKILNAND, Tamburmajoren: RICHARD SUTTIE, Foto: Erik Berg

For the corps de ballet there were different good group parts, and the 5 drummers were an importent part of the performance.

Christian Spuck´s choreography – his dance language is exciting, demanding, expressive. Sometimes very expressive, it is intelligent and intricate very detailed. He is using interesting movements with the body, legs, feets, arms and even the fingers. He has made a very good rehearsal work with the dancers, and the outlook was fantastic. Spuck had Jahn Magnus Johansen and Sissel Westnes to lead the rehearsals. Bibbi Moslet is dramaturg for the performance and Reinhard Traub has taken care of the lightdesign.

Emma Ryott has made the twisting scenography and the costumes. I very much enjoyed the colour specter, which absolut not is in any happy palet, but is perfect for the atmosphaere in the history, but still she is using connecting colour details, which brings it all together. In addition i appreciate that the artists in their decissions of how the  Woyzeck history should look, has keept it in an old fashion style, in good cooperation with the history, I too enjoyed the use of details as the old fashion bisycles and the ricking horse for the little boy.

Woyzeck: PHILIP CURRELL; Marie: EUGENIE SKILNAND, Foto: Erik Berg

The history is closely followed up in the choise of music, with a beautiful arrangement of music from Philip Glass, Martin Donner, Johann Sebastian Bach, Akfred Schnittke, György Kurtág, some of the many small and longer pieces arranged by F. Strobel. The choise of music is building up under all the atmosphaere. The Norwegian National Opera & Ballets Orchestra was conducted by the Estonian conductor Vello Pähn.

The musical selection have been interwoven in close cooperation with the conductor Vello Pähn. Concertmaster was Øyvind Bjorå.

The audience was completely speechless an mute during the whole performance. They were exited of what they perceived.

SYNOPSIS
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Woyzeck, who has a child with Marie, a pauker, makes a living by performing menial chores in addition to his garrison duties. Each morning he shaves the captain of the garrison before hurrying to the doctor to be examined for the effects of a special diet he is following. For three months he has pledged to eat only peas so the doctor can study the physical and mental effects of this absurd experiment. Woyzeck also serves as the professor´s handyman and is subject to all sorts of humiliation by the professor and his students.

Woyzeck is a stressed man. He only finds peace and quiet when he is with Marie and their young son. His loyal friend Andres, also a soldier, helps him to take small respites when he hurries from one chore to the next and when the voices he hears from the core of the earth become too loud and plague him.

Philip Currell in the titelrole as Woyzeck in Christian Spuck´s world premiere. Photo: Erik Berg

Marie becomes attracted to the military band´s drum major and he shows some sort of interest in her, and thus starting the catastrophic fall of Marie and Woyzeck. Seeing the chance to climb the social ladder and improve her life, Marie throws herself into the arms of the drum major, who, needless to say, is only toying with her.

Woyzeck eventually realises that Marie has been unfaithful. Marie also comes to realise that the drum major sees her as nothing but a brief fling, a toy for a seducer. She cannot help herself from returning to the forbidden fruit but then regrets. It is too late. Woyzeck, seeing that he may lose the only thing in his life with any mening, cannot stand yet another humiliation and decides to kill Marie.

Woyzeck stabs his beloved Marie while pretending that everything will be all right between them.