PULCINELLAIgor Stravinsky
With the neoclassical ballet “Pulcinella”, choreographer Giovanni di Palma breaks out of the stereotype of classical ballet and crosses into the pantomime of comedy dell’arte. We present a proper ballet party for an audience of all generations – one full of exuberance, jokes and quick changes in an extremely well-structured performance.
Giovanni Di Palma creates his version of „Pulcinella“ almost hundred years after the famous ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev had commissioned the music score from Igor Stravinsky and produced this work for his Ballets Russes. Diaghilev engaged Pablo Picasso as his stage designer and Leonid Massine as choreographer who also participated as a dancer.
Like the original version, the choreography tells the story of Pulcinella – a figure from the Italian Commedia dell‘Arte – , his girlfriend Pimpinella and four other friends. A story of love and jealousy develops, Pulcinella kisses Rosetta and on the climax Pulcinella seems to be stabbed: but it was only a mockery, invented in order to make Pimpinella forgive Pulcinella’s unfaithfulness. One of the friends, masked as a magician, brings Pulcinella back to life. The trick is successful: in the end, Pulcinella and Pimpinella get married, and so do the other couples.
His neoclassical, highly musical choreography fits well with Stravinsky’s music, which was written in the neoclassical period of the composer. His stage design, conceived together with Petra Dancevic in a modernized Renaissance style, with white balloons as many moons and high colums of classical Italy. The bright colours of the costumes, the protagonits with their masks and the drastic changes in lighting recall most elegantly the atmosphere of Commedia dell‘Arte.
Overture: Allegro moderato
1.Serenata: Larghetto: “Mentre l’erbetta”
2.Scherzino: Allegro
3.Allegro
4.Andantino
5.Allegro
6.Ancora poco meno: “Contento forse vivere”
7.Allegro assai
8.Allegro – alla breve: “Con queste paroline”
9.Andante: “Sento dire no’ncè pace”
10.Allegro: “Ncè sta quaccuna po”
11.Presto: “Una te fallan zemprecce”
12.Allegro – Alla breve
13.Tarantella
14.Andantino: “Se tu m’ami”
15.Allegro
16.Gavotta con due variazioni
17.Vivo
18.Tempo di minuetto: “Pupillette, fiammette d’amore”
19.Finale: Allegro assai
Partner of the ballet Pulcinella
