Raptus

Photo: Hans Gerritsen
On this photo: Jean Emile

Choreographer: Nacho Duato

'Raptus' (Latin for eloped or taken away), characterized by passionate movements, is set to the very romantic and emotional 'Wesendonklieder' of Richard Wagner. The very intense, but hopeless, and therefore broken off relationship between Wagner and Maria Wesendonk, formed the inspiration for these songs. The choreographer did not literally portray this conflict, but created images and an atmosphere in which the emotion is obviously apparent. The scenery by Walter Nobbe plays an important part here. It consists of two large moveable thick panels of which one side is covered with reflecting material, and the other side with images of a shoulder and head of a man and a woman. The black sides - when placed against each other - form a solid partition. When moved apart, a black hole is visible in which characters appear and disappear.