musicAeterna Dance was formed in 2022 and is based at Dom Radio in Saint Petersburg. In the course of the season, the dancers will practise with Russian and foreign choreographers and participate in ballet, opera, and performative productions.
The musicAeterna Dance concept is based on an interdisciplinary approach. The collaboration of dancers with musicians of the musicAeterna orchestra and choir turns into a creative symbiosis, an experience in recreating the ancient Greek trinity of ‘muse arts’: poetry, dance, and music. In choreography, academic and non-academic directions come into contact with physical theatre and vernacular plastics.
MusicAeterna Dance turns to various techniques and languages of modern dance, uses elements of meditation, yoga, and circus practices.
It is based on the principles of the theatre of the absurd, Peter Brook’s and Jerzy Grotowski’s ‘total theatre’, ‘dance theatre’ by Pina Bausch, Japanese Buto dance, flying-low, and countertechnique. It is looking for fundamentally new, yet to be discovered directions.
Choreographer Anastasia Peshkova will create a dance theatre laboratory together with artistic director Anna Guseva. Experiment, drive, and freedom determined the development of Peshkova as a performer in the productions of Ballet Moscow, festival projects, work with choreographers Anna Abalikhina, Konstantin Keichel, Kirill Radev, and Francesco Ventriglia. She follows the same guidelines as a choreographer of musicAeterna Dance.
Among the guest choreographers of musicAeterna Dance are such prominent figures as the legend of Russian modern dance, guru for many generations Nina Gasteva, freelance choreographer, author of her own dance language Nanine Linning, and one of the most sought-after Russian choreographers Vladimir Varnava.
Anna Guseva
Anna Guseva is an artist, theatre, film, and fashion director. Since 2014 she has been a member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia. She took part in the 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, exhibitions in Paris, Dusseldorf, Bruges, etc. She created paintings and public art objects, costumes for theatre, video, and performance.
Anastasia Peshkova
Anastasia Peshkova is a contemporary dance choreographer and dancer. Since 2017 she has been a soloist of the contemporary dance troupe of the Ballet Moscow Theatre. She is a laureate of the International Competition “Arabesque” in the contemporary dance category.
MA Dance events
Pascal Dusapin (b. 1955)
Passion, an opera in ten scenes (2006–2007)
Libretto by Pascal Dusapin and Rita de Letteris
Music Director and Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
Assistant Conductor, Vocal Coach — Olga Vlasova
Stage Director — Anna Guseva
Choreographer — Anastasia Peshkova
Artist — Yulia Orlova
Costume Designer — Anna Chistova
Lighting Designer — Ivan Vinogradov
Video Artist — Alan Mandelstam
Performers:
She — Natalia Smirnova / Iveta Simonyan
He — Sergey Godin / Kirill Nifontov
Artists of the musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir
musicAeterna Dance troupe
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
Pascal Dusapin (b. 1955)
Passion, an opera in ten scenes (2006–2007)
Libretto by Pascal Dusapin and Rita de Letteris
Music Director and Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
Assistant Conductor, Vocal Coach — Olga Vlasova
Stage Director — Anna Guseva
Choreographer — Anastasia Peshkova
Artist — Yulia Orlova
Costume Designer — Anna Chistova
Lighting Designer — Ivan Vinogradov
Video Artist — Alan Mandelstam
Performers:
She — Natalia Smirnova / Iveta Simonyan
He — Sergey Godin / Kirill Nifontov
Artists of the musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir
musicAeterna Dance troupe
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
Pascal Dusapin (b. 1955)
Passion, an opera in ten scenes (2006–2007)
Libretto by Pascal Dusapin and Rita de Letteris
Music Director and Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
Assistant Conductor, Vocal Coach — Olga Vlasova
Stage Director — Anna Guseva
Choreographer — Anastasia Peshkova
Artist — Yulia Orlova
Costume Designer — Anna Chistova
Lighting Designer — Ivan Vinogradov
Video Artist — Alan Mandelstam
Performers:
She — Natalia Smirnova / Iveta Simonyan
He — Sergey Godin / Kirill Nifontov
Artists of the musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir
musicAeterna Dance troupe
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
Pascal Dusapin (b. 1955)
Passion, an opera in ten scenes (2006–2007)
Libretto by Pascal Dusapin and Rita de Letteris
Music Director and Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
Assistant Conductor, Vocal Coach — Olga Vlasova
Stage Director — Anna Guseva
Choreographer — Anastasia Peshkova
Artist — Yulia Orlova
Costume Designer — Anna Chistova
Lighting Designer — Ivan Vinogradov
Video Artist — Alan Mandelstam
Performers:
She — Natalia Smirnova / Iveta Simonyan
He — Sergey Godin / Kirill Nifontov
Artists of the musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir
musicAeterna Dance troupe
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685–1759)
Prelude
Augelletti, ruscelletti, the aria of Maria Kleopova from the oratorio La resurrezione, HWV 47 (1708)
Zadok the Priest, Coronation Anthem No. 1, HWV 258 (1727)
Disserratevi, o porte d’Averno, the aria of Angel from the oratorio La resurrezione, HWV 47 (1708)
Ah! Crudel nel pianto mio, the aria of Armida from the opera Rinaldo, HWV 78 (1711)
Overture to the opera Agrippina, HWV 6 (1709–1710)
As with Rosy Steps the Morn, the aria of Irina from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)
De torrente in via bibet, duet with chorus from the psalm Dixit Dominus, HWV 232 (1707)
Oh, Let the Merry Bells Ring Round, aria with chorus from the oratorio L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55 (1740)
Pena tiranna, the aria of Dardano from the opera Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11 (1715)
Eternal Source of Light Divine, fragment from the cantata Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV 74 (1713)
Alla Hornpipe, No. 2 from the orchestral suite
The Water Music No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349 (1716–1717)
He Saw the Lovely Youth, chorus from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)
Piangerò la sorte mia, the aria of Cleopatra from the opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17 (1724)
Ah! Stigie larve — Vaghe pupille, the recitative and aria of Orlando from the opera Orlando, HWV 31 (1733)
O Love Divine, thou Source of Fame, chorus from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)
Sing Ye to the Lord, chorus with solo soprano from the oratorio Israel in Egypt, HWV 54 (1739)
Performers:
artists of the Anton Rubinstein Academy
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano
Diana Nosyreva, soprano
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Sofia Tsygankova, soprano
Andrey Nemzer, countertenor, soloist and vocal coach of the Anton Rubinstein Academy
musicAeterna Choir and Orchestra
musicAeterna Dance troupe
Music Director and Conductor Teodor Currentzis
Stage Director Elizaveta Moroz
Choirmaster Vitaly Polonsky
Assistant Conductor Evgeny Vorobyov
Production Designer, Costume Designer Sergey Illarionov
Choreographer Valentina Lutsenko