Paganini Rhapsody
Universal Ballet Premiere | LG Arts Center on August 28, 2003 |
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Choreography | Bingxian Liu |
Music | Sergei Rachmaninoff |
Staging | Bingxian Liu |
Set Design | Seungcheol Kim |
Costume Design | Yeonju Jung |
Lighting Design | Nak-cheon Kang |
Running Time | 25 min |
Hope in the Darkness of Life
Paganini Rhapsody was premiered in 2003. The title music “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” is a concerto work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff, a work which reflects a whole range of human emotions, and the choreographer goes on to capture the composer’s philosophical thoughts in depth. Paganini Rhapsody focuses on the emotion of “Anger.” It explores people who are living dark lives, obsessed and angered by happy memories of the past and an unstable future. And, at the same time, they can’t stop pursuing hope. These complex emotions are expressed in body movements that start out affectionate, and sometimes move close to a scream, sometimes lyrical and sometimes dynamic, in accordance with Rachmaninov’s lively musical skill and variations. Rapid changes of formation by the groupings of dancers, variations in straight lines and curves, and movement in pauses make the piece a work a dramatic epic poetry.