Last night, I saw the Hamburg Ballet’s premiere of “La Traviata” at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The experience was beyond my expectations, truly breathtaking. During the curtain call, I clapped my hands with everyone else, unable to contain my excitement and gratitude. My daughter, tired of clapping, asked me, “Dad, don’t your hands hurt from clapping so much?” I replied, “It was truly wonderful, absolutely perfect! I have to thank them very much, and thank you for recommending it.” (Haha, because it was really thanks to her that she saw the ad on the subway and pestered us to buy tickets.)
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Still from the ballet “La Traviata”
Alexandre Dumas’s “La Dame aux Camélias” was once my favorite romance novel. Other favorites include “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” “Irmensee,” “The Red and the Black,” and “The Grave of the Wild Chrysanthemums,” all of which are deeply moving and heartbreaking. However, I’m sorry to say I’ve never heard of the ballet “La Dame aux Camélias” before, though I’ve seen the opera on TV. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical after buying the rather expensive tickets, thinking of it as a Spring Festival gift for my children.
I went to the theater ahead of time to read the introduction and learned that this ballet features some twists in its narrative, particularly the inclusion of “Manon,” a ballet adapted from the novel “Manon,” as a play within a play and a mirror to the fate of the Lady of the Camellias. I thought this was indeed very creative, but it also made the story more complicated. How would it be performed?
Before the theater had even settled down, there was movement on the stage. Someone was milling about among the auction set. I was perplexed. Could they be busy setting up the set? The audience around me seemed equally bewildered. Many hadn’t settled yet, still milling about, trying to find their seats, or better. It felt a bit chaotic, both on and off stage. Then, the lights gradually dimmed, and I knew for sure that the ballet had begun. But the audience around me was still busy settling in. The elderly man sitting in front of me seemed completely confused. When he saw the black-clad protagonist (Armand) suddenly collapse on the stage, he jokingly said to his wife, “Hey, he must be drunk!”
But when the first note sounded, the whole audience fell silent, and a warm feeling filled my heart. Chopin, ah, it was Chopin! With that familiar and enchanting melody, the ballet truly began.
The first act is primarily narrative, with a clear plot and structure. I imagine even children who know at least a little about the story will be able to follow it. Of course, the ultimate thrill is watching Chopin’s music transform into beautiful dance, a dance that actually tells a story, and does so with remarkable clarity. Wow, it’s all Chopin from beginning to end!
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The second act completely captivated me! I’m sure many in the audience felt the same way. The three pas de deux in the middle were incredibly captivating. One depicted the mutual affection between Lady of the Camellias and Armand, another featured Armand’s father reminiscing about his encounter with her, and finally, Lady of the Camellias’s forced smile and the tender embrace she shared with Armand before their final farewell. The third pas de deux was especially thrilling, and I couldn’t contain my excitement. A surge of electricity coursed through my body.
I think George Sand once said that Chopin’s music is like a lover’s caress. Indeed, I sense a faint melancholy smile and a gentle, sweet sigh in many of Chopin’s melodies. But tonight, thanks to this incredibly beautiful ballet, I felt a renewed sense of the profound pathos and poignant beauty hidden within Chopin’s melody! From then on, Chopin was no longer the same Chopin.
The poignant beauty of the third act, right up to the very end, pierces the heart. The director’s superposition of Manon’s tragedy with that of the Lady of the Camellias seems to suggest a certain fatalism. As I watched the terminally ill Lady of the Camellias force herself to apply heavy blush, don a scarlet dress, and wear a black veil, arriving at the theater for her final viewing of Manon’s tragic conclusion, I closed my eyes several times, unable to bear to watch any longer.
That choreographer, Mr. Neumeier, who is said to be a master of ballet, was truly heartless. He adapted the ending of Alexandre Dumas’s fils, so that even though Manon could still die in the arms of her lover, he made the Lady of the Camellias fall alone in her apartment. Sigh~~~
This long sigh continued until I woke up this morning, and I had to write down a few words to share with you.
I just want to say that friends who have the opportunity to watch it should not miss it. Friends who love “La Dame aux Camélias” or Chopin should especially not miss it. For friends who love both, it is really a super feast!
In addition, it is especially suitable for friends who have not tasted the intoxication and heartbreak of being in love for a long time, that wave of crazy heartache…
Ajia …
February 4, 2010, Beijing