LA NOCHE DE SAN JUAN

The gestation of the ballet La noche de San Juan (Soirées de Barcelone), with music by Roberto Gerhard, began in 1936, under the influence of the arrival in Spain of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. The work, which was never premiered due to the Spanish Civil War, fuses tradition and avant-garde, setting the action during the summer solstice celebrations in the Pyrenees. Gerhard incorporated popular Catalan songs, such as “Noche de San Juan” and “Patum de Berga”, in a modern style. Joan Junyer designed the sets inspired by Pyrenean landscapes, traditional architecture and Romanesque art. Although Léonide Massine is believed to have choreographed the work, there is no documentary evidence. This production revives the unpublished piano version that Gerhard played in private and includes a new choreography by Antonio Ruz based on folk dances and avant-garde ballet.