“Peer Gynt” and “Le Parc”: Two Munich ballet premieres sing the praises of love, sometimes romantic, sometimes frivolous.
Heartwarming and mega-fantastic: all ballet premieres in the world that take place in the run-up to Christmas follow this recipe. This is also the case in Munich, where the State Theater at Gärtnerplatz and the Bavarian State Opera have just acquired new productions suitable for the festive season: “Peer Gynt” is opening in the smaller theater, while “Le Parc” is thriving in the National Theater, created by the Bavarian State Ballet. Two seemingly completely different dance products that nevertheless have a lot in common: both follow literary models, both illustrate love stories, both send their heroes on an adventure. However, Karl Alfred Schreiner, dance director at Gärtnerplatz, choreographed “Peer Gynt” as the premiere. Colleague Laurent Hilaire, on the other hand, has decided on a revival of a production that is almost three decades old, Angelin Preljocaj’s “Le Parc”. Whether the beautifully heteronormative creation that was once celebrated in Paris can still withstand the critical gaze and queer maxims of the present was probably the most exciting question in the run-up to the Munich premiere.