Ballet

Peer Gynt

Johan Inger

The young adventurer Peer Gynt sets out to become “King of the World“. He seduces and abandons those around him, always in search of himself. Along the way he meets many people, both benevolent and manipulative, finds inspiration and disappointment, and is nowhere really accepted. Apart from his aged mother Aase, whom he buries with a heavy heart, the only person to truly love him is the girl Solveig, who waits a lifetime for him in their home country, because that’s how long it takes for Peer to return.

Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, last seen in Dresden with A Swan Lake and Carmen, has turned the never-ending journey of Peer Gynt, forever in search of an identity and happiness, into a full-length ballet, which enjoyed its premiere in Basel in 2017. In a cross-disciplinary work combining dance, pantomime and song, Inger fuses Peer Gynt’s life and experiences with various stages from his own artistic career. The result is a gripping and witty story told using a striking physical vocabulary.

Ballet in two acts

Premiere
5. June 2022,

No further performances in the current season.

Premiere cast

Sinfoniechor Dresden – Extrachor der Semperoper Dresden
 Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

German premiere

Project Partner: Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen, Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden, Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen, LBBW

The world premiere of »Peer Gynt« at Theater Basel took place on 18 May 2017. The costumes were made in the workshops of Theater Basel.

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Mediathek

Peer Gynt

The young adventurer Peer Gynt sets out to become King of the World. He seduces and abandons those around him, always in search of himself. Along the way he meets many people, both benevolent and manipulative, finds inspiration and disappointment, and is nowhere really accepted. Apart from his aged mother Aase, whom he buries with a heavy heart, the only person to truly love him is the girl Solveig, who waits a lifetime for him in their home country, because that’s how long it takes for Peer to return. Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, last seen in Dresden with Walking Mad and Carmen, has turned the never-ending journey of Peer Gynt, forever in search of an identity and happiness, into a full-length ballet, which enjoyed its premiere in Basel in 2017. In a cross-disciplinary work combining dance, pantomime and song, Inger fuses Peer Gynt’s life and experiences with various stages from his own artistic career. The result is a gripping and witty story told using a striking physical vocabulary.
Making-of

Peer Gynt – Making-of (2)

With Peer Gynt, Johan Inger gives an impressive insight into his path as an artist: he combines the mythical story of the Nordic anti-hero with his own career as a dancer and choreographer, which has led him to pioneering choreographers such as Mats Ek or Jiří Kylián, among others. How the choreography came to life and grew, and what Inger wants to express with it, is explained in our making-of.
Making-of

Peer Gynt – Making-of (1)

Thomas Herzog is a well known conductor who has also led performances of the Semperoper Ballett.He has taken on the role of musical director for our premiere of ‘Peer Gynt’, which he also directed at the world premiere in Basel in 2017. In our first making-of, the conductor explains the most famous motifs of Edvard Grieg’s composition.
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