Ballet Review: Les 4 Saisons

French Choreographer Anjelin Preljocaj chose Vivaldi's concerto "The Four Seasons" for his latest ballet.

By ORA BRAFMAN
Les 4 Saisons TAPAC October 27 French Choreographer Anjelin Preljocaj chose Vivaldi's concerto "The Four Seasons" for his latest ballet, despite being aware of its popularity, and consequently, the difficulty in unveiling new and worthwhile interpretations. In conjunction with French renowned artist Fabrice Hyber, Preljocaj produced an array of wild, unexpected props and characters in strange customs that steered the audience's attention away from a more conventional interpretation of this well-known music. The over-sized water melon, string of pearls, and shower of sea sponges that fell from a moving conveyer belt above the stage were but a few examples of the pop-up visual surprises resulting from this collaborative event. The mood distortions created by structural deconstruction and visual titillation helped Preljocaj distill new flavors from the music, pulling it down south to the shores of the Mediterranean. The fine, strong group of dancers rose to the challenge and turned the stage into a fun-filled wonderland, full of vivacity and passion. Preljocaj may have lost the perfectly detailed structure of Vivaldi's concerto and the rich mood variations that depicted the seasons, but gained instead a work filled with sunshine and joviality, calming blue water, and the complexity of evolving human relationships.