February 17-March 6, 2011
Fletcher Opera Theater

This program includes a revival of The Ugly Duckling, the company premiere of Pas de Deux from The Flower Festival in Genzano, and the world premiere of Grieg: Piano Concerto.

The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling story narrated by Curtis Cregan.
For ages 4 and up!

Music: Michael Morciz
Choreography: Lynne Taylor-Corbett

Hans Christian Andersen, beloved as an amiable storyteller, chose to express himself through metaphor in the safe haven of children’s literature. But as he wrote in a letter in 1834, “Every character is taken from life–every one of them–not one of them is invented. I know and have known them all.” Born the son of a dirt-poor cobbler and an illiterate washerwoman in the provincial Danish city of Odense, he was homely, sexually confused, vain, anxious and very much the outcast that he later drew in the character of the ugly duckling. Later, he wrote to a friend, “I suffer with my characters…” Indeed, Andersen was an artist able to transmute his suffering and his ecstasy into poignant messages that were moving and also managed to entertain.

The Ugly Duckling endures to this day both as a cautionary tale of intolerance and misunderstanding, and as a hopeful tale of redemption and rebirth. And the name Hans Christian Andersen will always be part of the fabric of our own childhood lore.

Company Premiere
The Flower Festival in Genzano (Pas de Deux)
Music: Edvard Helsted
Choreography: August Bournonville

This beautiful pas de deux is quintessential Bournonville, considered to be one of his most perfect compositions. It is taken from a one act ballet which he created on the Royal Danish Ballet in 1858, the libretto of which was taken from a story by Alexandre Dumas. The pas de deux is a charming love duet in which the steps express the joy and teasing playfulness between two young people.

World Premiere
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Music: Edvard Grieg
Choreography: Robert Weiss

Considered to be one his earliest important works, Grieg premiered his Piano Concerto in A Minor in 1869 in Copenhagen at the height of the romantic era. He was only 24 years old.

I like to think that, although we live in a completely different time and place, there is still the romantic in all of us.
–Robert Weiss

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Performances & Tickets
Tickets are $20-$65, order online or call the box office at 919.719.0900

Casting:
Thursday Evening February 17, 8pm
Friday Evening February 18, 8pm
Saturday Matinee February 19, 2pm
Saturday Evening February 19, 8pm
Sunday Matinee February 20, 2pm
Saturday Morning February 26, 11am
Saturday Matinee February 26, 2pm
Saturday Evening February 26, 8pm
Sunday Matinee February 27, 2pm
Saturday Matinee March 5, 2pm
Saturday Evening March 5, 8pm
Sunday Matinee March 6, 2pm

2010-2011 Season
Firebird
Dracula
Pinocchio
Nutcracker
The Ugly Duckling
Carmen
Monet Impressions
A Midsummer Night's Dream