BEMUTATÓ - P.U.N.K. • Nagy Zoltán

Rhapsody as a genre is characterized by caprice and the passionate undulation of emotion, thoughts, and the freedom of expression. Hungarian Rhapsody incorporates all of the peculiarities of thegenre, relying on tradition, and drawing inspiration from it, to create a special and unique dance rhapsody. The colorful diversity of the Hungarian peasant traditions appear in dynamically alternating images – the acrobatics of the male dances, the poetry of the female dances, and the virtuosity of the couples’ dances. The most beautiful melodies of folk culture surface at times as dance accompaniments, or as whimsical solos, and at other times as tempestuous orchestral play.

The idea for The Nutcracker ballet came from theone-time director of the Tsarist theatre who, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale entitled the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, wanted to stage a fairy tale ballet that would surpass all that had gone before, both in sound and in spectacle. Tchaikovsky was asked to compose the music and after Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty his third and final ballet was also a great success. It was the six-movement suite of the music of The Nutcracker that was first performed in March 1892, and in December of the same year the spectacularly presented theatrical work was also performed. The Nutcracker has become the most frequently played ballet piece of all time.

Carmen is the symbol of freedom. Her story is the drama of inextinguishable, uninhibited love.