ONDŘEJ KYAS / GABRIELA HRABALOVÁ Beneath the surface, a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid, commissioned by the festival, in collaboration with ZUŠ Veveří; the world première
music Ondřej Kyas
libretto Kateřina Křivánková
sets and costumes Gabriela Hrabalová
dancers and musicians Tereza Jančová
performed by ZUŠ Veveří pupils
conductor Jan Bělohlávek
“The idea of choreographer Gabriela Hrabalová to translate the story of the Little Mermaid into ballet form appealed to me very much – also because this Andersen fairy tale is often reduced to an image of naive love, although in reality it carries deep existential themes that resonate even today.
The original story is framed in the libretto and interwoven with the author’s own story – it tells of a girl, Agnes, who falls unconscious during a birthday party and finds herself in the underwater world. Here, in the role of a fairy, she experiences a story that reveals to her, on a symbolic level, the possible paths of her life. This parallel between the inner world and reality was very important to me when writing the libretto.
Instead of romantic love, we put friendship – deep, age-old and sacrificial – at the forefront. Our Fairy is not a passive character, but a mature being who, despite her loss, finds a new way of looking at the world and at relationships that have real value.”
Kateřina Křivánková, librettist
Concert program here
We are gratefull for the cooperation
