On Love and Lust

Featuring bold choreography by Cincinnati Ballet 2, Stravinsky’s Les noces and Orff’s Catulli Carmina explode with passion, ritual and pulse-pounding energy in a boundary-breaking night of music and movement.

Raw, rhythmic and electrifying — featuring dancers from Cincinnati Ballet 2, this once-in-a-lifetime concert experience fuses music and movement in a visceral exploration of lust, ritual and desire. Stravinsky’s Les noces pulses with primal energy as it reimagines a Russian village wedding through driving percussion, voices and riveting choreography by Yoshihisa Arai. Orff’s Catulli Carmina, drawn from the ancient poetry of Catullus, blazes with sensuality and irony, turning themes of passion and heartbreak into a bold, theatrical spectacle.

*This program contains adult themes and language which may not be appropriate for children under the age of 13.  

Program

Igor Stravinsky Les noces (“The Wedding”) 
Carl Orff Catulli Carmina (“Songs of Catullus”) 

Artists

Matthew Swanson conductor  
Victoria Okafor soprano  
Sara Couden contralto  
Nicholas Phan tenor 
Yannis François bass-baritone
May Festival Chorus Matthew Swanson director
Members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Ballet 2  
Yoshihisa Arai choreographer