It’s all about memory and heritage over at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele this winter with Performing Arts Season, the four-month dance, theater and performance series that includes everything from choreographed concertos to queer rock operas. The program kicked off last week and continues this Saturday (19.10.2024) with the premiere of “Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione” (“The Contest Between Harmony and Invention”), a dance interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s baroque classic “The Four Seasons” by choreographers Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Radouan Mriziga. In this contemporary take on the baroque piece, cycles, rhythms and precise movements offer a reflection on seasonal change. In a time where climate crisis threatens to upend established weather patterns, it’s a highly relevant production. Looking ahead to November, the program shifts to theater with “Verrückt nach Trost” (“Crazy for Comfort”) by director Thorsten Lensing, in which the siblings Charlotte and Felix grapple with grief and the feeling of being truly alive, followed by “The Garden of Delights,” a play by French director Philippe Quesne inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych of the same name. Finally, December will see a revival of Lucinda Childs’ “Dance,” a postmodern choreographed piece featuring music by Philip Glass, followed by the presentation of Childs newest works titled “Four New Works.” With the stage set, it’s time to enter a season of forward-thinking culture.
Text: Scott Moss / Credit: Anne Van Aerschot; SF, Armin Smailovic; Sally Cohn
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr.24, 10719 Berlin–Wilmersdorf; map
Performing Arts Season runs throughout the 2024/25 season – full program and tickets are available here.
@berlinerfestspiele
