The new double bill Oiseaux Rebelles at Opera House Zurich is a poetic celebration of independence and artistic courage. Drawing inspiration from the famous “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” – “Love is a rebellious bird” – from Bizet’s Carmen, the programme explores freedom as both a personal and creative force.
The evening opens with a new work by Dani Rowe, the Australian choreographer and director of the Oregon Ballet Theatre. For her first creation with Ballett Zürich, she turns to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel. What begins as a musical journey through an imaginary gallery becomes a series of moving portraits – fragments of memory and emotion that chart a human life. Through fluid choreography and vivid imagery, Rowe invites the audience into a world where reflection itself becomes dance.
In the second part, Mats Ek, one of the most distinctive voices in modern dance, returns to Zurich with his powerful reimagining of Carmen. First created in 1992 for the Cullberg Ballet, Ek’s version strips away the operatic glamour to reveal a deeply human story of passion, defiance, and consequence. Seen through Don José’s recollection before his execution, the piece examines freedom and fate from a raw, psychological perspective.
Together, Rowe and Ek create an evening of contrasts: quiet introspection alongside emotional intensity, modern sensibility paired with classical roots. Oiseaux Rebelles stands as a tribute to the spirit of rebellion that drives both art and life – an expression of what it means to move, to resist, and to be free.
Oiseaux Rebelles is currently running at Opernhaus Zürich.
