Waclaw Orlikowsky

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Waclaw Orlikowsky (born November 8, 1921 as Grigori Podlesny in Charkow , † June 25, 1995 in Basel ) was a Ukrainian-Swiss ballet master .

life and work

Orlikowsky is the son of Appolinarius Podlesnz and Maria, née Zibina. He studied ballet with Viktor Sulima and Vladimir Preobrazhensky . From 1939 to 1945 he was a dancer in Charkow, Tbilisi and Lemberg , from 1952 to 1955 he was ballet master in Oberhausen . He was the first in Germany to study the entire Swan Lake in 1955 and popularized the traditional and contemporary Russian narrative ballet.

In Basel

In 1955 Orlikowsky accepted a position as ballet master in Basel and fired all dancers because they did not meet his requirements. With the new troupe he celebrated great successes all over Switzerland with his productions in the tradition of classical dance. In 1960 he achieved a triumph at the Berliner Festwoche . Thanks to him, the Basel Ballet became internationally known. The independent classical interpretation of key works from the 20th century and their performances have gone down in history as the Basel ballet miracle . The Swan Lake was performed 51 times in Basel in the first season alone. Orlikowsky was not only an accomplished choreographer, but above all a great theater man and stage magician who also staged operas and operettas in Basel.

Further stations

From 1966 to 1971 he worked at the Vienna State Opera and from 1975 to 1990 in Graz. He has also worked internationally as a guest choreographer.

Selection of ballet performances

  • Swan Lake music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • Giselle , music by Adolphe Adam
  • Sleeping Beauty , music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • The Nutcracker , music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • Daphnis and Chloë , music by Joseph-Maurice Ravel
  • La Valse , music by Joseph-Maurice Ravel
  • The Firebird , music by Igor Fjodorowitsch Stravinsky
  • Petrushka , music by Igor Fjodorowitsch Stravinsky
  • The wonderful mandarin , music by Béla Bartók
  • Amphion , music by Arthur Honegger
  • Romeo and Juliet , music by Sergei Sergejewitsch Prokofjew
  • Cinderella , music by Sergei Sergejewitsch Prokofjew
  • The stone flower , music by Sergei Sergejewitsch Prokofjew
  • The Pagoda Prince , music by Benjamin Britten
  • The fountain (The source of Bakhchisserai) , music by Boris Vladimirovich Assafiev
  • Dorian Gray - today , music by Max Lang (world premiere)
  • Five floors , music by Henri Sauguet (world premiere)
  • Peer Gynt , music by Edvard Grieg (world premiere)

plant

  • The classical ballet - my life , 1998 (with a catalog raisonné)

literature

  • S. Enkelmann, Ballet in Basel , 1962
  • Andreas Kotte (Ed.), Theater Lexikon der Schweiz , Chronos Verlag Zürich 2005, pp. 1356f.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Orlikowsky, Waclaw
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Podlesny, Grigori (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ukrainian-Swiss ballet master and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH November 8, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Kharkov
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 1995
Place of death Basel