LEIPZIG BALLET
The Great Mass, by Uwe Scholtz (EuroArts)
I have been seduced by The Great Mass, a 1998 large-scale ballet anchored on Mozart’s masterpiece by the German choreographer Uwe Scholz, who died in 2004, aged 45.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
The relationship between music and movement is uncanny on many levels, from surface melody to underlying textures and rhythms, to mood. It no doubt helps that this particular performance, a memorial to Scholz from June, 2005, is by his own company, the Leipzig Ballet, purposefully backed by the Gewandhausorchester, the Leipzig Opera chorus, excellent vocal soloists and conductor Balácz Kocsár.
The overall ballet works on many different planes, as well, as it interweaves Mozart’s Great Mass and a couple of shorter works with modern pieces by György Kurtág, Thomas Jahn and Arvo Pärt.
What could easily be a dog’s breakfast of styles becomes a seamless journey between our higher selves (dancers in white, deploying classical technique, during Mozart portions) and our baser instincts (dancers in black, moving in a more angular, modern way). Both are equally magnetic, one drawing us heavenward, the other providing impeccably executed kicks to the gut.
As Mozart’s Mass ends with the Agnus Dei (left unfinished, so the words are set to the music from the opening Kyrie), the stage is stripped and the dancers emerge in street clothes to sit, listening to the chorus and orchestra having the final say.
Initially, having an opera chorus sing the Mozart as if it were Verdi is a bit disconcerting, but it doesn’t take long for the power of this interpretation to leave a mark. The orchestra is also a bit heavy handed, but serves the ballet very nicely.
This is one of those works that presents new revelations with each viewing. It’s also a great introduction to an unusually gifted choreographer, a protégé of John Cranko, who had an association with the National Ballet of Canada.
Scholz made his reputation by mixing music and movement — his first great work was a ballet based on Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 — in a way that shows both in a glorious, powerful new light.
For full details about this recording, click here.
Here is the opening Kyrie, with apologies for the poor audio:
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
