Erik Satie / Igor Stravinsky: Pablo Picasso at Pomepii

Orchestra, choir:

Teatro dell’Opera di Roma ballet company

Director:

Eleonora Abbagnato

Choreographer:

Léonide and Lorca Massine

Against the picturesque backdrop of Vesuvius, the ancient Roman theater of Pompeii hosts a colorful outdoor event in honor of Pablo Picasso. To celebrate the centenary of his visit to Italy, two ballets with sets and costumes designed by the legendary Spanish artist will be performed: Parade, with music by Erik Satie, and Igor Stravinsky's Pulcinella. Both works were choreographed by Russian ballet star Léonide Massine. The performance will be presented by the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma ballet company, directed by Paris Opera prima ballerina Eleonora Abbagnato and choreographed by Léonide Massine's son Lorca. One hundred years ago, Picasso traveled with Jean Cocteau to Naples and Pompeii to work on Parade, an avant-garde ballet commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, director of the famous Ballets Russes ballet company. The work was intended to draw inspiration from Neapolitan folk traditions and commedia dell'arte theater. The stage curtain for Parade is Picasso's largest completed work, measuring approximately 11 meters high and 17 meters wide. Cocteau's libretto tells the story of a group of street performers who parade in front of the audience in an attempt to attract them to their show.