Boris Eifman’s ballet Rodin tells about the life and work of two great sculptors: Auguste Rodin and his disciple, mistress and Muse – Camille Claudel.
The story of their love is truly a tragic one. For over 15 years Rodin and Claudel were one integral whole, both sensuously and creatively. The breakup of the lovers that ensued eventually was a fatal blow to the mental health of Camille leading to her tragic end. Half-forgotten, hardened, hopelessly impecunious, Camille goes mad. A paranoiac idea of a conspiracy against her being lead and inspired by Rodin himself incessantly torments the already weakened mind of the wretched woman. 30 long years had she spent in a mental clinic just to die in 1943, forlorn and completely forgotten by all and everybody.
Eifman’s Rodin is a comprehensively creative study of such a subject as how tragic may be people of genius’ lives. By resorting to the uniquely plastique of the modern psychological ballet, that was so brilliantly mastered by the choreographer in his other productions (Onegin, The Seagull, Anna Karenina, Russian Hamlet, etc.), Boris Eifman not only offers a new interpretation of the world of human passions studied masterfully by Rodin and Claudel, but creates a picture of the insoluble mystery of the creative process.
“The story of life and love of Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel is an amazing tale about an incredibly dramatic alliance of two artists where everything was entwined: passion, hatred and artistic jealousy. Spiritual and energy exchange between the two sculptors was an outstanding phenomenon: being so close to Rodin, Camille was not only an inspiration for his work helping him find a new style and create masterpieces, she also impetuously went through the development of her own talent becoming a great master of sculpture herself. Her beauty, her youth and her genius – all this was sacrificed to her beloved man.
After breaking up with Claudel the artist stays with devoted but unloved Rose Beuret. Camille tries to find her escape in work, but art critics do not accept her sculptures. In despair, Claudel destroys most of her works and plunges into the darkness of insanity. The wretched woman’s soul is being incinerated by pathological hatred towards her former teacher and lover, who, as Camille believes, has stolen her life and talent.
This new ballet reflects Rodin’s longing for his Muse, torments of his conscience, as well as Camille's delirium caused by the mental illness and saturated with painful obsessions – or rather that of the insane Erinys that the ruthless fate has turned her into.
In our performance, using the language of dance, we talk about passion, inner struggle and despair – of all those human spirit phenomena that were brilliantly expressed by Rodin and Camille in bronze and marble. To turn a moment carved in stone into an unrestrained, emotionally rich stream of body movements is what I was striving for while creating this new ballet performance.
Rodin is a reflection on the extreme price that people of genius have to pay for the creation of eternal masterpieces. And, of course, it is a reflection on those torments and mysteries of creative process that will always be of concern to any artist.”
Boris Eifman
“You don’t have to be an amateur of modern choreography or of Boris Eifman’s theatre in particular. You just need to love the magic of the dance and theatre, as this performance is going to be called a masterpiece. It enchants you like a rare exhibit in Hermitage or Louvre. It is as plastic as clay, as majestic as bronze, as streamlined as marble, as expressive as ex libris.”
Maria Kingisepp, Izvestia. November 28, 2011
“‘Rodin’ succeeds overall in depicting two timeless themes: the relationship between art and artist, and the terrible price of genius. While the story is inspired by Rodin’s sculpture and narrated by composers of his era, it is Eifman and his dancers that provide the emotional color -- by telling a side of the story that only dance can tell.”
Meghan Feeks, Edgenewyork.com. March 12, 2012
“Eifman skillfully used selections from Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Debussy and Satie to accompany the action. His choreography is full of big jumps that land in unexpected ways and movements that feature extreme upper body torque against classical ballet legs. He knows how to fill a stage with action. The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg is refreshing in its over-the-top theatrical flourishes. While most dance troupes nowadays veer toward self-examination and concept, Boris Eifman is an unapologetic romantic.”
Joel Benjamin, Theaterscene.net. March 11, 2012
“Boris Eifman has captured the spirit of the tale. I predict it will be seen as one of the great ballets of the 21st century.”
Darrell Wood, NYC Dance Stuff. March 15, 2012
“With its frenzy of movement and crazed pas de deux, this piece is a solid addition to the repertoire of Russian choreographer Boris Eifman.” “Eifman’s soloists are fully committed to the frenzy of movement. Lyubov Andreyeva portrays Camille Claudel with unabashed intensity, her endless, finely drawn limbs unfailingly eloquent; she is aptly partnered through acrobatic pas de deux by Oleg Gabyshev, a fine presence as Rodin. Alongside them, Nina Zmievets, a company star, lends weight and simplicity to the role of Rose.”
Laura Cappelle, The Financial Times. March 20, 2013
“Expressive choreography, powerful dramaturgy.” “This is undoubtedly the best Eifman’s work.”
Nicole Duault, Le Journal du Dimanche. March 17, 2013
“Of the ballet choreographers making narrative works for major stages, Russian Romantic Boris Eifman is virtually the only one totally in touch with the 21st century.” “Eifman’s large, versatile St. Petersburg company remains faultless.”
Lewis Segal, The Los Angeles Times. May 4, 2013
“It is, at every turn, audacious, inventive and stunningly beautiful.”
Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times. May 16, 2013
“A visual feast” “Boris Eifman is a phenomenon. He is the choreographer that cynical, hard-nosed dance critics love to hate, but whom audiences shower with adoration. And as for my full disclosure – I admire his work.”
Paula Citron, The Globe and Mail. May 24, 2013
“His ballet takes its audience on a breathless whirlwind journey… However the most impressive memories were in watching how Eifman, Russia’s most renowned contemporary choreographer, creates his own works of art in a similar way to Rodin himself. Taking the human body rather than clay, he magically manipulates it into extraordinary and stunning shapes and angles. His style is quite unique and the results are always beautiful.”
Margaret Willis, Bachtrack.com. February 6, 2014
SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
A mental asylum, where patients wander like
somnambulists, is the last shelter for Camille Claudel, a lover of the great
Rodin. After a visit from the sculptor, she feels nothing but pain and despair.
In his memories, Rodin returns in his past... Sculptor’s workshop. Here is
the place where Rodin’s wild fantasies come to life through clay and bronze.
With her appearance, Camille, a young model, starts a fire in the heart of
Rodin, who is in his middle age. It is intolerable for Camille to wake up in
the mental asylum. However, her sufferings at the hands of the other female
patients, who beat and abuse her, are nothing compared to the horrible emptiness
that enlaced Camille’s soul. The life of old Rodin is full of grief. The
tenderness of his devoted Rose is heavier than iron bonds. The sculptor is
buried in his thoughts, where he finds himself an impetuous creator again.
Camille is by his side, with her passion and gift of genius that give him power.
Rodin’s indifference makes Rose suffer. Camille’s coming insanity is already
near: her mind becomes bedimmed with an obsession. But still her life is an
endless vortex, in the very center of which is Rodin. Without hesitation, she
gives her genius to her beloved and her master. Envy of Camille as an artist
grows in the sculptor’s soul. Rodin wins his success. Camille, his mate and
co-author of his works, is left behind as an unknown witness of another’s
glory.
ACT TWO
The Gates of Hell are created in
sufferings. Camille works devotedly with Rodin. Rose follows Rodin constantly,
which makes him go through torment and repentance. Happy moments of his life
revive in his mind: young Rose, beautiful and lovely bacchante, whom Rodin meets
at a grape festival. Camille’s relationship with her master becomes a torture
for her. In a blaze of despair, she escapes from her beloved. A passing affair
with a random lover cannot heal her scars. She has no other choice than to
return to Rodin, who is her destiny and her curse. The sculptor is
embarrassed. His heart is torn between burning passion for one woman and sincere
affection for another one. How can he break this vicious circle of incessant
torments? Camille is coming closer and closer to the edge of the abyss. Her
work on Clotho, fearful anthem to ruthless Fate, exhausts her mental
state completely. Distressed by critics, Camille destroys her sculpture in a
blaze of rage. Camille suffers from nightmares. She sees Rodin as an ugly
beast who is guilty of all her tortures. The poor woman has no way to escape
from this insanity, which captures her mind and soul.