World premiere of John Neumeier’s Liliom with music by Michel Legrand – December

Liliom, the first premiere of The Hamburg Ballet’s season 2011/2012, will be a genuine world premiere: John Neumeier is creating a ballet set in the milieu of fairs in the United States of the 1930s, based on Ferenc Molnár’s popular theater play. It is the first time that the play is adapted for dance with an original score, written by Michel Legrand. John Neumeier will create the female lead role Julie for Alina Cojocaru.
Molnár’s play Liliom, written in 1909, is today known as a theater classic and was adapted for films repeatedly. With Carousel, the play was also transformed into a musical, popular until today. Michel Legrand, widely known for his film music and winner of several Academy Awards, created the score for the “ballet legend in 7 scenes and a prologue, commissioned by THE HAMBURG BALLET and the Hamburg State Opera. Michel Legrand’s reputation builds on a variety of world-famous music scores. Among others, he wrote the original soundtracks for Norman Jewison’s The Thomas Crown Affair, Yentl and the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Here, he is merging elements of classical and jazz music. The Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Big Band of the NDR (Northern German Television and Radio) will work jointly on the world premiere of the music. Premiere: December 4, 2011. Source: www.ballet.co.uk