WATCH: Mozart and Salieri: shaking up ballet with heightened theatricality, design and sophistication

Robyn Cohen|Published 7 years ago

Marc Goldberg has combined a classical story with a 21st century design to bring a cinematic experience to modern ballet as it never been seen before. Marc Goldberg has combined a classical story with a 21st century design to bring a cinematic experience to modern ballet as it never been seen before.

There is huge buzz around Marc Goldberg’s Mozart and Salieri- a new ballet in two acts -which kicks off Cape Town City Ballet’s 2018 season at Artscape.

Choreographer Marc Goldberg talks to Robyn Cohen about the project.With lavish costumes (wigs made out of real hair for example) and visuals, we are in for an epic-scale ballet. Goldberg does not do ‘boring’. Cape Town City Ballet is in fine form.

Goldberg has adapted Mozart and Salieri - the drama by Alexander Pushkin- written in 1830 and published in 1832. In Goldberg’s ballet there are three intertwining narratives: the apparent rivalry between Mozart and Salieri – as represented in Amadeus; the relationship between Mozart and his wife Constanze (not an easy relationship – celebrity is not easy to live with) and his creativity. By the time that Mozart died at age 35, he had created an extraordinary body of work.Q: Did Cape Town city Ballet commission Mozart and Salieri or was it your idea?

“It was my idea. I went to Elizabeth Triegaardt (of Cape Town City Ballet) with the concept and presented the funding. I’ve been wanting to shake up the ballet company's repertoire, so I am happy to have received the opportunity. I am determined to present levels of dance productions that I feel a modern audience deserve. There's nothing tired, stodgy, recycled or prissy in the dance that I present. I hope that a level of theatrical experience, design and sophistication will become the expectation on a production with my name on it. Ballet is still relevant. It can take on many forms. The only real limitations to ballet and its possibilities nowadays is imagination -or lack thereof.”

WATCH: Interview with choreographer Marc Goldberg on inspiration for the set designs.

Q. There are no sets. You use ‘3D mapped projection’. Moving images are beamed onto screens. Can you talk about the visuals?

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a game changer. I’ve seen use of projection here (in South Africa) but anyone can project an image. What makes this so important - is that the sets are 3D constructions. They move. We can move in them and they are timed musically. Its very time consuming and expensive to generate. I’m very excited to see the response. There's little that I can say to prepare you for the experience.”

WATCH: Behind the scenes video delving into the costuming and aesthetics of Marc Goldberg's Mozart and Salieri.

It is on at Artscape, Wednesday (February 7) at 7.30pm; Saturday February 19 at 2pm and 7.30pm; Sunday February 11 at 3pm; Wednesday February 14 7.30pm and Saturday February 17 at 2pm and 7.30pm. *Tickets are R150-R270. Book at www.computicket.com or Artscape on 021 421 7695