Ballet by John Neumeier after Homer

The Odyssey

One of the most important pieces of poetry is the epic "Odyssey" by the Greek lyricist Homer. John Neumeier decided to dedicate to this comprehensive work about the hero Odysseus and his adventurous journey at the invitation of the Athens opera and concert house Megaron in 1995. For his ballet version his aim was to get as close as possible to the roots of the epic and at the same time translate the literary original onto a level of movement. A prerequisite for this was the commissioning of a work by the Greek composer George Couroupos and the collaboration with the Greek stage and costume designer Yannis Kokkos. On the occasion of John Neumeier's 85th birthday, this monumental work about war, the search for home and the encounter with the foreign returns to the repertoire of the Hamburg Ballet.

Music: George Couroupos – Commissioned Score by The Hamburg State Opera
Choreography and Staging: John Neumeier
Set and Costumes: Yannis Kokkos

2 hours 45 minutes | 1 intermission

PREMIERE:
Hamburg Ballet, Megaron The Athens Concert Hall, Athens, November 20, 1995
PREMIERE IN HAMBURG:
Hamburg Ballet, December 17, 1995

ORIGINAL CAST:
Odysseus: Ivan Liska
Penelope: Anna Polikarpova
Telemachos: Ivan Urban
Pallas Athena: Anna Grabka
He: Nicolas Musin
Calypso: Heather Jurgensen
Nausicaa: Bettina Beckmann
Circe: Chantal Lefèvre
The See: Laura Cazzaniga
The War: Jirí Bubenícek, Otto Bubenícek
Eurycleia: Karen Niles

ON TOUR
1995 Athens 1996 Ludwigshafen, Montpellier, Genoa Nervi 1997 Sagami Ono, Osaka, Tokyo

IN THE REPERTORY:
Royal Danish Ballet

Co-production of the Hamburg State Opera with Megaron The Athens Concert Hall

Ballet by John Neumeier after Homer

The Odyssey

Impressions