Weinberg’s ballet with a wooden nose

Originally conceived by Carlo Collodi, the Pinocchio story has seen adaptations over the eras. Here Polish National Ballet presents a danced version to music by Mieczysław Weinberg, the Polish-born Soviet composer Mieczylaw Weinberg, a victim of both Nazism and Soviet anti-semitism. Weinberg’s operas such as Die Passagerin, are now increasingly seen in European theatres. Pinocchio is based on Buratino, a reworking of the original tale by Alexei Tolstoy, a distant cousin of the famous writer. Inspired by commedia dell’arte, burattino is Italian for ‘marionette’ and the name of a character of those improvised comedies. Written between 1954 and 1955, Weinberg’s piece was meant for children, despite including allusions to the oppressive Soviet realities that only grown-ups could infer. The ballet is a vibrant, multicoloured story full of humour, lyricism, and references to popular dances (waltz, tarantella). Choreographer Anna Hop presents original story fit for the modern age, to be enjoyed by children of all ages and all thanks to: Weinberg’s playful music, the beauty of dance, the magic of theatrical imagery, and the touching story about the triumph of vulnerability over violence, the pursuit of freedom and the necessity to sometimes lose one’s way to grow as a person.  Streamed by Slippedisc courtesy of OperaVision.

The Plot:  toymaker Gepetto creates a wooden puppet toy named Pinocchio and wishes on a star that he would be a real boy. A kindly Blue Fairy appears and grants his wish bringing Pinocchio to life. With a long nose which grows longer when he lies, Pinocchio learns that he must prove himself worthy in order to make his father’s wish come true.

Streamed on Friday 12th July 2024 at 1900 CET  / 1800 London  / 11300 New York