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Saint Matthew Passion

John Neumeier
In the early 1980s, John Neumeier took the bold step of choreographing Johann Sebastian Bach's monumental St. Matthew Passion. The result is a now iconic masterpiece that pays homage to the legacy of Bach and Christian culture while maintaining a deep connection to the present. Neumeier approaches the music as a personal testimony of faith: an expression of human suffering and life experience.

Credits

Ballet by John Neumeier

World Premiere: Sketches of St. Matthew Passion, November 13th, 1980, Hamburg Ballet, St. Michael’s Church, Hamburg

World Premiere St. Matthew Passion: June 25th, 1981, Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg State Oper

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Cast

  • Matthäus-Passion
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    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper
  • Matthäus-Passion
    © ×
    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper
  • Matthäus-Passion
    © ×
    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper
  • Matthäus-Passion
    © ×
    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper
  • Matthäus-Passion
    © ×
    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper
  • Matthäus-Passion
    © ×
    Bildrechte über Hamburgische Staatsoper

The Production

  • Venue venue will be announced
  • Duration
    240 m
  • Intermission 4 hours | 1 intermission
    Part 1: 90 minutes, Part 2: 120 minutes
  • Age recommendation ab 14 Jahren / Klasse 9
Neumeier's moving and spiritual choreography searches for the origins of sacral dance and for the themes that unite us as humanity: guilt and forgiveness, grief and hope, sacrifice and love. In doing so, it reveals that the St. Matthew Passion goes far beyond religious representation: it addresses existential questions that touch every human being and opens up spaces for reflection, compassion, and empathy.

With this interpretation, John Neumeier made dance history and his ground-breaking work had a lasting impact on the perception of religious music. Bach's composition was first performed in 1727 at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
Historic Data − +

PREMIERE – A sketch "Skizzen zur Matthäus-Passion":
The Hamburg Ballet, Hauptkirche St. Michaelis, Hamburg, November 13, 1980
PREMIERE:
The Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg State Opera, Hamburg, June 25, 1981
 

ORIGINAL CAST:
Laure Balon
Diana Blair
Béatrice Bouquet
Paola Cantalupo
Judith Carlson
Lynne Charles
Beatrice Cordua
Judith Gill
Gabrielle Günthardt
Lynn Huck
Leslie Hughes
Eyla Jeschke
Chantal Lefèvre
Christiane Marchant
Margaret McLaughlin
Kathy Moriarty
Page Perry
Sonia Pérusse
Giselle Roberge
Iris Tenge
Trinidad Vives
Robyn White

Markus Annacker
Eduardo Bertini
Ronald Darden
Jean Jacques Defago
Mark Diamond
Jean Yves Esquerre
Ricardo Garcia
Gamal Gouda
Michael Haase
Kevin Haigen
Caspar Hummel
Jeffrey Kirk
François Klaus
Ivan Liska
Jean Christophe Maillot
Thierry Michel
Max Midinet
Pascal Le Royer
Anthony Sewell
Karel Vandeweghe
Roy Wierzbicki
Matthew Wright

ON TOUR:
1982 Berlin, Lausanne, Luxemburg 1983 New York, Mannheim, Paris, Venice 1984 Chicago (Ravinia Festival), Frankfurt, Montreal, Salzburg, Toronto 1985 Bergen, Helsinki, New York, Paris, Salzburg, Stuttgart 1986 Hiroshima, Tokyo 1987 Berlin (East), Brussels, Copenhagen 1988 Amsterdam, Milwaukee 1990 Gütersloh 1992 Dresden 1996 Montpelier 2002 Baden-Baden 2003 Hong Kong 2004 Dortmund 2005 Baden-Baden, Frankfurt 2007 Oberammergau 2009 Bonn 2012 Moscow 2017 Leverkusen, Essen 2017 Moscow 2018 Friedrichshafen 2022 Los Angeles

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Saint Matthew Passion

John Neumeier

  • Duration
    240 m
  • Intermission 4 hours | 1 intermission
    Part 1: 90 minutes, Part 2: 120 minutes
  • Age recommendation ab 14 Jahren / Klasse 9

All Dates