Inner Banner Song
Song of the Earth
Kenneth MacMillan (1965)
Created by Scottish choreographic genius Kenneth MacMillan, former Director of the Royal Ballet, Song of the Earth is set to Mahler’s song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, the lyrics to which were freely translated from a collection of eighth century Chinese poems. With a subtle use of oriental motifs both in the music and the choreography, Song of the Earth explores man’s struggle to accept mortality and the hope and renewal that comes with death.
Credits
Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan
Music: Gustav Mahler
Design: Nicholas Georgiadis
Photos
Song of the Earth
What the press said
“The trio of dancers at the heart of the choreography – Adam Blyde, Erik Cavallari and Sophie Martin – connect us, with exquisitely nuanced detail, to the life cycle expressed in the songs. Blyde, the Messenger of Death, shadows the unfolding actions with a potent subtlety, while Cavallari offers a boundless vitality that Martin answers with a porcelain delicacy.”
The Herald
“Deeply moving”
Sunday Herald
“Timelessly beautiful.”
The Herald
“A standout highlight which made the audience gasp was the performers themselves creating a sea with their bodies and rotating dancers through their rolling waves. Truly spectacular and deserving of the intakes of breath around the theatre.”
STV.tv
Performances
Double Bill at Sadler's Wells
(performed with Elo's Kings 2 Ends)
Sadler's Wells, London
3-4 November 2011
US Tour 2011
(performed with Elo's Kings 2 Ends)
Dorothy Chandler Pavillion
Los Angeles, California
14-16 October 2011
Jackson Hall,
19 October 2011
Orpheum Theatre
22 Oct 2011
Edinburgh International Festival 2011
(performed with Elo's Kings 2 Ends)
The Playhouse, Edinburgh
26-28 August 2011
