Saigon Classical x From Alpha to Opera
collaborated with support from Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in HCMC, with licensing from Naxos Deutschland GmbH and Accentus Leipzig

introduce
FIRST EVENING, Double bill ballet screening, tribute as part of JOHN CRANKO event series (1927 – 1973):

• REQUIEM, music by Gabriel Fauré (Requiem in D minor, Op. 48), choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, dedicated to the memory of his friend and colleague John Cranko upon his passing. Conducted by Koen Kessels. Performed by The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London, England
• WINTERREISE (Winter Journey), a composed reinterpretation by Hans Zender, from original work Winterreise, D.911 by Franz Schubert. Stage production and choreography by Christian Spuck, music direction by Benjamin Schneider, danced by Ballett Zürich, production from Opernhaus Zürich, Switzerland.

(Christian Spuck is a German choreographer, educated at John Cranko School of dance and worked for many years with Stuttgarter Ballett before working at Ballett Zürich. As of 2026, he is artistic director of Staatsballett Berlin)

SCREENING MATERIAL IS NOT SUITABLE FOR AUDIENCE UNDER 12 YEARS OF AGE

In the project: From Alpha to Opera – introducing famous operas with Vietnamese and English subtitles.

LOCATION: Outdoor space of German Consulate Residence, 257 Hoang Van Thu St., Tan Xuan Hoa Ward, HCMC
TIME: 19:00 – 21:30 – Friday, 17 April 2026 (reception and door open from 18:00)
REGISTER ONLINE, free of charge: https://quickom.net/event/6252
(Free entry, but prior registration is required for seating arrangement)

The mixed programme starts with REQUIEM, Kenneth MacMillan’s 1976 work for Stuttgart Ballet, created in memory of its late artistic director, MacMillan’s friend and former Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer John Cranko, here captured and danced by Royal Ballet in 2024.

REQUIEM was created as a moving elegy for Stuttgart Ballet in memory of its late artistic director, MacMillan’s friend and former Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer John Cranko. MacMillan and Cranko had known each other since 1946, when both were students at the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School.

Set to Fauré’s poignant Requiem in D minor, Op. 48, MacMillan's luminous ensemble work is a portrait of a ballet company coming to terms with the loss of its beloved leader. And although REQUIEM was created as a special homage to Cranko, it has become a universal evocation of grief and consolation.

After the interval, the final part of the programme will be presented, a re-screening of a successful title we presented in cinema back in 2023.

Franz Schubert’s Winterreise, a cycle of 24 songs for voice and piano set to poems by Wilhelm Müller, is not only regarded as the zenith of Schubert’s song composition, but as the pinnacle of German art song in its entirety. German composer Hans Zender arranged the cycle in 1993 with the title: „Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ – a composed interpretation“. Zender’s version for tenor and chamber orchestra reveals the cycle’s potential to disturb, and approaches Wilhelm Müller’s poems in its own way. Zender pushes into the darkest regions of human existence. With his interpretation, he brings to light emotions that pulsate just beneath the surface in Schubert’s work, uncovering the uncanny layers in the depths of the music.

Like Hans Zender, Christian Spuck’s production, which was awarded the renowned «Prix Benois de la Danse» in 2019, concerns itself less with illustrating the external stations of the traveler’s journey. Instead, it approaches the cycle with thoroughly comprehensive abstraction. Using a mixture of large ensemble scenes and intimate solo images, Christian Spuck undertakes a journey into the innermost self. As he does so, he explores such timeless themes as love, longing, alienation, and abandonment, allowing the medium of dance to provide new perspectives on one of the greatest works of classical music.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJAAjLg4haU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg_9m5rC5Jg

This screening has been granted licence by rights holder Naxos Rights (Europe), Ltd., on behalf of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (for REQUIEM Fauré / MacMillan) and Accentus Music GmbH Leipzig, on behalf of Opernhaus Zürich (for WINTERREISE Schubert / Zender / Spuck) to From Alpha to Opera project, in partnership with Saigon Classical Music Group. Licensing fees are supported by Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City.

The translation and localisation of materials (including programme notes, printed handouts and subtitles) into Vietnamese are performed by volunteers with the sole purpose of promoting classical music and increasing awareness of high standard quality worldwide operatic performances. We endeavour to credit appropriate creators of these materials and organisations involved. The screening is non-commercial and non-profit.