THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED – ALL TICKET HOLDERS WILL BE CONTACTED SHORTLY
For The Friends of The Australian Ballet in association with Palace Opera & Ballet
Join ballet aficionado Leo Schofield AM for a pre-screening presentation of Le Parc, a Ballet in three acts, specifically created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1994 by choreographer Angelin Preljocaj.
Preljocaj explores the laws of attraction and the games we play, finding a subtle balance between the classical genius of Mozart’s music and the modernity of his choreographic language.
Thierry Leproust’s perfectly chiselled sets evoke the elegance and refinement of a French style garden while Hervé Pierre’s costumes draw inspiration from the Age of Enlightenment.
Advancing to the caprices of an imaginary Carte du Tendre and guided by strange gardeners, the dancers awaken to love, from first encounters to seduction, from timidity to attraction, from resistance to the sweet appeal of abandon in sublimely soaring “pas de deux”. Even today, this timeless work continues to explore the codes of love and the way human feelings develop.
Created specifically for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1994 by choreographer Angelin Preljocal, there are countless reasons why Le Parc has become a timeless classic.
CARDS
When desire is part of the game, the carte du Tendre is also a card to play. Love at first sight and gambles come together in the groves of Le Parc. Marivaux like, Preljocaj’s choreography – created in 1994 for the Paris Opera Ballet – reshuffles the cards for the game of love and chance.
MOZART
Female desire (Così fan tutte), debauchery (Don Giovanni) and true love (Die Zauberflöte): Mozart’s scores form the soundtrack for the century of Laclos, Sade, Crébillon and Vivant Denon. In Le Parc, Mozart is Preljocaj’s musical accomplice: concertos, quartets and symphonies give rhythm to a work that gives form to the desires of the heart and mind.
GARDENS
Be it the gardens of the carte du Tendre – the landscape of love charted out by Madame de Scudéry or the royal alleys at Versailles where Le Nôtre created the ideal backdrop for all things playful, the garden is above all a secret one when it comes to love.
QUARTET
“Divertimento”, “A Musical Joke”, “Serenade”, “A little Night Music”: the pages from Mozart selected by Angelin Preljocaj evoke hours of the day and night – moments in a sophisticated art of loving. Music and dance echo one another: in a conversation transposed into sound, a quartet of gardeners reply to a string quartet. Set to an electronic score by Goran Vejvoda, these little cupids guide the dancers along in a timeless game.
ERA
The society of the age of Enlightenment has given way to an entertainment based one: “The world parades and surges across the small screen”, says Preljocaj, “and we remain transfixed”. And yet, as the French writer Philippe Sollers says, the 18th century was a “forward” one. With Le Parc, the choreographer draws on the source of French libertinage. Dance finds new momentum that brings into perspective the games of seduction of our times.
“A masterpiece. There are dances that entertain us, and then there are a few that have the power to truly move us.” Alexandra Desvignes, BACHTRACK
Join ballet aficionado Leo Schofield for a pre-screening presentation of Le Parc on 18 July at Palace Cinemas Verona to hear why Leo thinks Le Parc is a masterpiece of dance.
In recognition of your ongoing support of The Friends of The Australian Ballet we invite you to join us for a warm interactive conversation via Zoom.
Hosted by Friends Deputy Chair Bruce Pollack in conversation with Leo Schofield AM
Twenty years ago this month, Australia welcomed the world to Sydney. Leo Schofield was the Artistic Director of the 2000 Sydney Olympic and the 2000 Summer Paralympics arts festivals. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a journalist, critic, creative arts festival director, and trustee of countless arts and cultural organisations.
Join The Friends for a warm convivial online conversation with Leo Schofield as we explore his passion for the performing arts, involvement with the Paris Opera Ballet and revisit fond and funny Olympic moments from Sydney 2000.
