A light pierces the darkness, shining the spotlight on Roberto Bolle and his Caravaggio. The celebrated dancer, an icon of international dance, was greeted last night at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari with standing ovations and sustained applause on the first of three evenings.
The program features a creation by Mauro Bigonzetti, acclaimed Italian choreographer, for the Staatsballett Berlin, directed by Vladimir Malakhov: Caravaggio, inspired by the figure and works of Michelangelo Merisi, imbued with dramatic realism. After ten years, internationally renowned star Roberto Bolle returns to the stage of the theater on Via Sant'Alenixedda to paint, with his "Apollonian physicality," combining technical rigor and interpretative pathos, a portrait of the cursed painter. On stage, the man and the artist, between genius and recklessness, with his troubled inner world, while the chiaroscuro language that pervades his works is reflected in the play of light and shadow that at times conceals and at times reveals the physicality and fragility of bodies.
In the evocative scenography by Carlo Cerri, who also takes care of the dramatic lighting, with the beautiful costumes by Lois Swandale and Kristopher Millar, the Caravaggio paintings seem to come to life.
Alternating on stage, alongside the various characters, are symbolic figures such as the refined Light played by Russian Maria Khoreva, first soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet; the Darkness evoked by Anastasia Matvienko; and Beauty, embodied by Kseniya Rhzeuskaya.
On the podium, conducting the Lirico orchestra, Milanese Marco Dallara , already applauded last year in Cagliari, will play famous scores by Claudio Monteverdi, re-orchestrated in a symphonic key by Bruno Moretti.
"On stage, a prima ballerina from Ukraine and a prima ballerina from Russia are dancing," said Roberto Bolle. "This show also carries a message of peace, unity, and dialogue, which is more necessary today than ever." Following the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, the Lirico closes its season with a compelling work that marries dance and painting. Performances today at 7:00 PM and tomorrow at 5:00 PM.
