Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler
Hamburg Ballet
Tuesday
Cultural Centre Grand Theatre
The Hamburg Ballet has brought two full-length works by artistic director John Neumeier to these shores for the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
Neumeier is known mainly as a creator of powerful dance theatre, and one of the two works, A Streetcar Named Desire, falls into this category and is based on the Tennessee Williams play. But the opening programme is an abstract piece, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, one of Neumeier's signature works, which was created in 1975.
Although the ballet has retained its popularity, it looks dated today. It also confirms that Neumeier's forte is dramatic work rather than pure choreographic invention.
It is only with the third movement, Autumn, that the ballet comes to life. A series of elegantly phrased duets and trios are well differentiated and enhanced by touches of characterisation. This is by far the best - and most original - choreography in the ballet. The sequence reflects Neumeier's outstanding ability to convey human relationships through dance.
Much of the choreography elsewhere is derivative. The bombastic all-male ensemble opening, Yesterday, recalls Maurice Bejart and the choreography for the female dancers in Summer Balanchine. In particular, the Winter trio bears a distinct resemblance to Kenneth MacMillan's 1965 Song of the Earth. But it suffers by contrast with the power and musicality of the MacMillan piece.
