Review | Caravaggio ballet performance in Hong Kong a work of stunning beauty and power

Hard on the heels of the opening show La Belle Otero, the Hong Kong Arts Festival brought us another dance work inspired by an artist with a tumultuous life: Caravaggio. This was a work of stunning beauty and power, with Mauro Bigonzetti’s magnificent choreography performed by a cast of outstanding dancers led by the legendary Roberto Bolle. Among the greatest of Italian painters, Caravaggio (1571-1610) was notorious for his dissolute and violent lifestyle. He often found himself in trouble with the law and had to flee Rome after killing a man. Mystery surrounds his death at the age of 38 – did he die of disease or was he murdered? Caravaggio’s art was revolutionary in many ways: its often stark realism, notably of religious subjects; its unashamed theatricality; its eroticism; and its use of models from the underbelly of society. Above all, he is famous for pioneering chiaroscuro, the interplay between light and shadow that made his paintings so dramatic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hong Kong Arts Festival (@hkartsfestival) The ballet was divided into two acts. The first, while in no way a direct narrative, evoked Caravaggio’s life, the second his art. In the first act, Caravaggio (Bolle) interacted literally with his lovers and models – two young men and a young woman – and metaphorically with three women who represented key elements in his life and painting: The Light (Maria Khoreva), The Dark (Anastasia Matvienko) and The Beauty (Ekaterine Surmava). Intense duets – radiant with Khoreva, ominous with Matvienko – were punctuated by lively group scenes that brought the streets of Rome to life, with costumes that subtly evoked Caravaggio’s paintings. The first act ended with a striking image recalling Caravaggio’s acts of violence, and perhaps his own death, as he fell to the ground while an enormous sheet of blood-red fabric was unfurled across the stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hong Kong Arts Festival (@hkartsfestival) In the second act, a huge gold frame hung above the stage, in which figures portraying images from Caravaggio’s work appeared. Bolle and the three female soloists were joined by two men (Gioacchino Starace and Ildar Young) for a series of duets inspired by paintings such as The Entombment of Christ (also known as The Deposition) and Judith Beheading Holofernes. The latter ended with an astounding moment in which Starace sat on the ground and Matvienko stood upright on his raised knees. He then lowered his legs flat with her still balanced on them. Bigonzetti’s choreography was consistently ingenious yet flowed organically; technical feats were spectacular but never done merely for show. The soloists’ costumes left them largely naked, revealing the sculptural quality of their bodies. Signature movements were full of originality: feet linked around a partner’s neck, splayed hands covering faces, extended legs woven intricately through linked arms in solos or duets. Balances were held for impossibly long, often with extreme extensions. The crowd scenes were just as good – these could easily have been mere padding, but here they were choreographed to the same high level as the solos and duets, and performed with captivating energy, enthusiasm and passion. In a strange omission, none of these dancers from the first act were named in the house programme, which was a pity as they deserved recognition. Bolle’s performance in the title role was a tour de force. It is hard to believe that the Italian, who is one of the finest dancers of his generation and a national treasure in his home country, turns 51 later this month. Renowned for his physical beauty, he still has a face and physique that would send Michelangelo reaching for his chisel and the nearest block of marble. His dancing was equally undimmed – his control, power, expressiveness and exemplary partnering were awe-inspiring. The other soloists were also extraordinary. Khoreva, a soloist with the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg, Russia, has previously appeared in Hong Kong twice in classical pas de deux. Lovely though she was in those, here the 25-year-old was a revelation, with glorious, long, fluid lines and riveting emotional intensity. Fellow Russian dancer Young (aka Young-Gaynutdinov) is also in his twenties. He has pursued a maverick career, including winning various TV dance competitions. It is easy to see why, with his striking good looks, strong technique and sensational plasticity (few male dancers can pull off the infamous six o’clock extension). Matvienko was, for many years, a principal at the Mariinsky. The Ukraine-born dancer left Russia in 2022 because of the war. At 43, she seems ageless like Bolle, and like Khoreva, shows how great classical dancers can adapt superbly to contemporary work. This is also true of Georgia-born Surmava, a principal with Ballet Dortmund. Starace, who is still in the corps de ballet at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, is a rising star with a fiercely masculine presence to match his virtuosity. All aspects of the production combined to make it a triumph. Great choreography needs great music, and Bruno Moretti’s superb score incorporated and reimagined music by Caravaggio’s contemporary, Claudio Monteverdi. Carlo Cerri’s scenography and lighting paid well-conceived tribute to the painter’s work, as did the excellent costumes by Lois Swandale and Kristopher Millar. “Roberto Bolle – Caravaggio”, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Reviewed: March 7.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Roberto Bolle dazzled among a cast of seasoned and upcoming stars in this ballet about Caravaggio’s art and violent life

Roberto Bolle dazzled among a cast of seasoned and upcoming stars in this ballet about Caravaggio’s art and violent life