Henri Matisse — Icare, Jazz, 1947
ICARE
After the score by Igor Markevich, 1932
The first staging in history of a ballet that had waited ninety‑three years to be brought to life.
93 years of waiting. Modern world premiere.
Ihor Markevych composed The Flight of Icarus for the Paris Opera on a commission from Serge Lifar. Lifar highly valued the score; here is a quotation: "The music was admirable, the idea of its union with dance seductive, but I had a clear sense that it would be impossible for me to bring my rhythm into accord with that of Markevitch.» The premiere was postponed for a decade.
Years of silence followed. The score waited for the stage. There were concert performances with Markevych and his students, but no choreographic staging was ever realized.
Artem Hordieiev now creates the first fully-fledged theatrical production of the work. The world premiere comes ninety-three years later.
“Icarus did not fall because he was careless or reckless. From the very beginning, he was consciously choosing to fly.”
— Artem Hordieiev, Choreographer
Three Axes of the Concept
The production is built upon the unfolding of three philosophical steps that together generate its own stage language.
A way of looking at things
The event of life itself is neither positive nor negative; in and of itself, it is neutral. Only our attitude assigns to it a particular role, colour, or intent. This echoes the teachings of Stoicism. The Stoics taught that the only thing truly within your power is your attitude toward what happens.
Interpretation of Icarus’s Flight
The SUN opens its doors to a “NEW” Icarus of the twenty-first century, for he did not turn back, but accepted the challenge “as it is.” He allowed the Sun to burn and the Moon to cool. The body becomes the instrument of will: not the mind, not the weapon, but the body itself that breaks through. Instead of humanity’s eternal striving toward the impossible, there is the human being’s fulfilment of the impossible as a conscious choice. As Ukrainian resistance.
Matisse + Body Syntax
Matisse’s Icarus as a fundamentally different, alternative iconography. Instead of a human being flying toward the sun, we have a human being who is the SUN. This may become the final image of the production’s interpretation.
Le Vol d'Icare
Igor Markevich, Paris, 1932
Duration: 27 minutes. Performed by the Belgian National Orchestra.
Available for World Premiere
The ICARE project is open to discussions with theatres, festivals, and production organisations as key partners for the first staging in the world.
Contact Choreographerart_om@me.com