Peer Gynt

Henrik Ibsen found the inspiration for his 1867 drama Peer Gynt in Peter Christen Asbjørnsen’s Norwegian closet drama of the same name. Its success soon led the playwright to create a stage version, and he commissioned Edvard Grieg to compose the incidental music. The play had its premiere in Christiania, today's Oslo, in 1876.

Having already made a name for himself here with his spectacular readings of Le Sacre du printemps and Faust – Das Ballett, Slovenian choreographer Edward Clug makes his return to Zurich. Clug’s Peer Gynt, premiered in 2015 at the Slovenian National Ballet in Maribor under his direction, is a visually stunning, enigmatic fantasy spectacle – a modern narrative ballet inspired by surrealism, absurdity, and irony. Clug combines Ibsen and Grieg’s versions to create a special dance experience. He uses the two well-known Peer Gynt Suites, complementing them with Grieg's String Quartet in G minor op. 27, the Piano Concerto in A minor op. 16, and selections from the Lyric Pieces.

Using striking scenes, Clug tells the story of Peer Gynt, the farmer's son, who cheats his way through the world with tall tales in an effort to escape reality. In Peer’s fantasy world, his father’s run-down dwelling is a glittering palace, and he romanticizes his own escapades, turning them into heroic deeds. His quest for love and adventure takes him not only to a world of trolls and demons, but also to the Orient and a madhouse. When Peer Gynt finally returns home, he must fight for his soul, which he is only allowed to keep thanks to his beloved Solveig. [Text by Opernhaus Zurich]