The Finite Nature of Existence

Text: Johanna Withelm

Berlin is eagerly awaiting Christian Spuck’s first work at the Berlin Staatsballett, which he will inherit as artistic director in the upcoming season: a ballet based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. This will not be a world premiere; the production already celebrated its premiere in 2016 at the Zurich Ballet, which Spuck led as ballet director for more than ten years. Spuck himself is not concerned with a religious interpretation of the liturgical text. Instead, he wants his interpretation to portray people who, in their vulnerability and helplessness, are searching for consolation. Messa da Requiem is dedicated to the boundaries between life and death and strives to answer nothing less than the most profound of questions in a fundamental way: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?

Christian Spuck / Staatsballett Berlin

Messa da Requiem

May 4, 6, 12, June 2, 9, 22, 27

Deutsche Oper Berlin

www.staatsballett-berlin.de