Based on the drama fragments »Die Maltheser. Tragödie / The Knights of Malta. Tragedy« by Friedrich Schiller
Muslims, Christians and Jews have fought each another brutally in the course of history. At the same time, they have lived together peacefully elsewhere. In the middle of the 16th century, sea battles and piracy dominated in the Mediterranean. The Ottomans were expanding to Europe. In order to fight them militarily, the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem took its seat on Malta being called the Order of Malta. In 1565, the Ottoman fleet and troops besieged Malta (“Great Siege”). They were finally beaten by the Order of the Knights under Grand Master Jean de Valette.
Friedrich Schiller (1775-1805) describes the Knights’ critical situation as a Christian community driven into total subjugation and sacrifice for a higher spiritual goal. Schiller has been working on this subject for almost 20 years until his death. However, the planned tragedy remained unfinished.
Irina Pauls’ dance piece stages the drama fragments for the first time. Five dancers together with the vocal ensemble amarcord, famous for their a- cappella singing and live electronically-processed music by composer Matthias Engelke take the audience into the times of the Great Siege of Malta. Space, sound and dance will let the spectator experience the question of the resilience of a European religious community.
Irina Pauls lives as a freelance choreographer and director in Leipzig. She studied dance at Palucca Schule Dresden and choreography at Theaterhochschule Hans Otto in Leipzig. Pauls has created more than 80 works, including numerous dance pieces, performances in public spaces, musical theatre and stage plays and has been in charge of the departments for dance theatre at various theatres and for companies in Germany and abroad. She also appeared at national and international festivals.
IT’S SCHILLER! is a co-production of Irina Pauls, Schaubühne Lindenfels Leipzig, a cappella e. V. – Association for the support of vocal music and Speck’s Erbe Düsseldorf. The production is supported by the Cultural Foundation of Saxony, Cultural Office of the City of Leipzig, Connex Tax Consulting, Deutsch- Maltesische Gesellschaft e.V., Tom Pauls Theater Pirna and Metering Service GmbH Leipzig.
The guest performances for Valletta 2018 are co-funded by German-Maltese Circle Valletta, Goethe-Institute and the Department for International Cooperation of the City of Leipzig.
It’s Schiller! is endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation.
Concept and choreography: Irina Pauls
Music: Matthias Engelke
Stage and costumes: Alexander Wolf
Singers: Vocal ensemble amarcord – Wolfram Lattke, Robert Pohlers (tenor), Frank Ozimek (baritone), Daniel Knauft, Holger Krause (bass)
Dancers: Georg Bergmann, Marc Borras Llopis, Rodolfo Piazza Pfitscher da Silva, Valenti Rocamora i Torà, Eva Thielken
Technician: Benjamin Henkel
Assistance: Johanna Rex
Production manager: Maria Koch
www.theknightsofmalta-tragedy.eu
Teatru Salesjan, Sliema / Malta
- & 13.10.2018
Shows start at 8pm
Introduction at 7.30pm before the shows