The Piano, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1993, has been turned into a ballet by Czech choreographer Jiri Bubenicek. It will receive its world premiere at the New Zealand Festival in Wellington on 23 February, 2018.
Set in New Zealand and directed by Jane Campion, The Piano tells the story of a woman whose husband sells her piano after she moves from Scotland to marry him. While trying to reclaim her piano she falls in love with another man, with tragic consequences.
“I was almost crying with the intensity of the story and the incredible landscapes in the film,” said Bubenicek in an interview with the New Zealand Herald. The choreographer originally staged The Piano as a one-act piece in 2014 before deciding to expand it into a full ballet.
In addition to its Palme d’Or win the film was also acclaimed for Michael Nyman’s score, which includes the songs The Heart Asks Pleasure First, Big My Secret and The Mood That Passes Through You. Some of Nyman’s songs will be used in Bubenicek’s adaptation.
After its premiere The Piano will then open Royal Ballet New Zealand’s 2018 programme. Other highlights of the season include The Nutcracker, Dancing with Mozart and new commission Stength and Grace: Women.