Ballet
Pas de deux
Hamburg State Opera: dressed by Akris
For John Neumeier's "Beethoven Project II" at the Hamburg State Opera, Albert Kriemler designed the dancers' dresses and suits and explores the question of how modern costumes can actually become.
The Akris designer began collaborating with the American choreographer 16 years ago. Since then, five projects have been realized in which Kriemler has transferred his creations onto the stage.
In keeping with John Neumeier's choreographic color spectrum, for which the ballet director was inspired by his selection of Beethoven's works, Kriemler now designed a total of 49 stage outfits. For Beethoven's oratorio "Christ on the Mount of Olives", which the composer wrote at the onset of his deafness, he designed architectural dresses in sheer techno mesh and tuxedos with body-hugging turtleneck shirts of tulle in black, contrasted by a dress of silk organza in green and denim blue for prima ballerina Hélène Bouchet.
In Beethoven's Symphony No7, Kriemler dressed the female dancers in white ensembles of cotton shirt and georgette skirt with linear grid embroidery at the hem; the male dancers wore chintzed mesh skirts. An impressive tribute to the joy of life, the love of dance, rushing and gentle at the same time, punctuated by flowing dresses in crêpe and georgette in the bold primary colors blue, red and yellow.
"In the end, it's the overall visual appearance in form and color that interests us," Kriemler explains, "and the vision of seeing the dancers dance in truly modern dresses." A credo that grants the costume design its own status, alongside the choreographic work.
Something that has always been important to John Neumeier's as well. After all, dance, even when it is classic music, "...is an art of the present, and that's where fashion can help. It transfers ballet into today."
One more performance of the "Beethoven Project II" will take place on June 18th 2023 at the Hamburg State Opera (see schedule).
Are you still looking for the right outfit to the opera? Discover the Akris evening dresses or combine a chic blazer with trousers. An elegant handbag or a scarf, chicly draped over your shoulders, will complete any outfit.