Forgotten Land

Photo: Sven Ulsa

Choreographer: Jiří Kylián

'Forgotten Land' is a “musical choreography”, meaning that all choreography derives directly from the music. The musical score itself was commissioned by the nationalist government of Japan in 1939. Benjamin Britten received a commission to write a score which would be used as a part of the celebrations commemorating the 2600th anniversary of Japan’s existence. Britten accepted it and wrote a work entitled ‘Sinfonia da Requiem’. But the fact that he used Latin Christian liturgical text as an underlying theme, lead to the refusal of his composition by the nationalist government of Japan.

Jiří Kylián - in comparison to Britten - thought of ‘Sinfonia da Requiem’ as a work of more personal character than a political one - for it is always people who determine the political scene. It's always people and nature who turn the wheel of evolution a little further.