Alagoana

Alagoana is a ballet consisting of five movements – Overture, Sertanejo, Saudade, Caboclo and Finale – which Bernd Alois Zimmermann began composing in the 1940s using his own libretto. The work is based on a Native American legend which initially promises human beings immortality. The encounter between man and woman and their subsequent love however also brings the factor of death into human life. Reminiscences of Igor Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps und Maurice Ravel’s Boléro transform the ballet into a rhythmically expressive work which is a comprehensive challenge for dancers and choreographers alike.

‘[The myth] forms the primary intellectual foundations of the ballet which lacks a concrete plot in the customary sense of the word, instead consisting more of substance and material. There is a clear link with Genesis and mysticism of death and dreams throughout all ages. The double relationship of the dream with the secret forces of the subconscious and the music reveals the significance of dance: transformation into pure movement! Metamorphosis!’ (Bernd Alois Zimmermann)