Happy days are here again: Vienna State Ballet, Season 2025/26, Presentation to the Press, April 11th, 2025 and stage presentation on April 13th, 2025
„Once upon a time", Annette Hanshaw wrote a song of optimism that became a kind of „Hymn of hope" for the States during the Roosevelt Government. This was in the years that followed the Great Depression.
Somehow, I caught myself whistling this tune on the way home, after the Press conference about the 2025/26 Season - by Dr. Bogdan Roščić (Director of the State Opera), Dr. Petra Bohuslav (Commercial General Manager) and Alessandra Ferri (Ballet Director). I was quite surprised. Here is a short part of the lyrics:
„So long sad time, so long bad time
We are rid of you at last
Howdy, gay times, cloudy grey times
You are now a thing of the past
Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again"
But why should he be so happy? You may be thinking or saying.
The reasons are many., but quite easy to explain.
It is a joy to welcome to Vienna Alessandra Ferri, someone with such charisma, knowledge, perfectionism and sensibility (Who will ever forget her Juliette, her Giselle, her Marguerite Gautier, among so many other roles? Sensibility at its best definition) to Vienna. Yes, Happy days are here again: days of professionalism, pinpointed details, emotion, analytical thoughts (Her plans for the upcoming Season will reconfirm this to you), technical command, Knowledge, internationality and high Standards. And, let's forget: Class.
Copyright: Vienna State Opera / Andreas Jakwerth
What we, Journalists and critics, became as „the first information" proves just that.
A person who calls a certain choreographer's work „poetry"... This is extreme sensibility, finesse, poise – exactly what the world and the Arts are lacking nowadays. Can I ask for more than that? No.
It is a known fact that Miss Ferri, after carefully watching the work of the company, has not renewed many (I think somewhere between 25 to 30) contracts for the next Season. This decision hit dancers who, in part, had not been long with the company (part of them came with the present direction from Germany to Vienna and part of them were engaged by the present direction during the last 5 years) and don't have (how should I put it mildly?) the „affinity" with, the „pouvoir" of classical dancing that is a „conditio sine qua non", required and extremely necessary to a repertoire company as the Vienna State Ballet is.
In her own words when asked about her future „visions" in some years for the company, she not only mentioned the qualities of a company, which during Manuel Legris' years reached the status of being one of the most „beautifully technically clean companies in Europe" (although the dancers are from many different schools all over the globe and this is difficult to coordinate) but that she believes that this company has all the possibilities of being one of the best companies in the word! Yes, happy days are here again!
It was touching to listen to her connection to Elena Tschernischova, who coached her to her first Giselle and whose work she preserved in the repertoire of the State Ballet. She said, „We must go ahead, look forward. Modern and contemporary, sure. But I want the connection to classical Ballet", and she said the defining words that revealed us more of her fine personality: „We must nurture classical ballet" And, she is absolutely right. And this is the reason for the many personnel changes. Even though I feel very sorry for every employee who has lost his work.
One thing is sure – there'll be no place for laziness in this company. The standards will be set very high. There'll be no place for half-soloists who always „call sick" when they have to do a Corps de Ballet job – which is their obligation. Work is announced!
Alessandra Ferri has not only done a three-year work within a few months to prepare a new year, planning not only a high-profile Season 2025/26 (See below) but also including in it some highlights, which might have been overseen,
Apart from such Dancers that will enrich the Vienna State Ballet as Laura Fernandez Gromova (State Ballet of Georgia), Madison Young, Antonio Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes (all three from The Bavarian State Ballet), the wonderful and lovely Cassandra Trenary (from ABT - American Ballet Theatre), the Brazilian Victor Caixeta (Dutch National Ballet) and many others, Marcelo Gomes, one of the best ABT (American Ballet Theatre) dancers, will join the company as a Ballet-Master, guest teachers (whom I prefer to see as „coaches") will be constantly invited to Vienna (Already in September the company will welcome one of my idols, the talented Julio Bocca – presently director of the Colón Theatre in Buenos Aires as a „teacher"), Patrick Armand (Royal Ballet London and school, National Ballet of Canada and school, Teatro alla Scala Ballet and since 2010 at the San Francisco Ballet School) and, the wonderful idea of dedicating every year's „Gala", which finishes the Ballet Season in the End of June, to a different Artist – next year's will be dedicated to Sir Frederick Ashton (another idol of mine)– and I am looking forward to that. Miss Ferri knows, due to her long Royal Ballet connection, what Ashton is all about. There’ll be surely no more “La fille mal gardée” in such an unprofessional way (which had nothing to do with Ashton!) as in the last years!
Copyright: Vienna State Ballet / Kosmas Pavlos
Season 2025/26, presentation on April 11th, 2025
Premières and Repertoire:
»Kallirhoe«
Alexei Ratmansky
October 19th, 2025
»Visionary Dances«
Justin Peck / Wayne McGregor / Twyla Tharp
March 28th, 2026
Copyright: Vienna State Ballet / Kosmas Pavlos
Ballet Gala 2026
An Hommage to Frederick Ashton
with the premières of Frederick Ashtons »Rhapsody« andChristopher Wheeldons »Within the Golden Hour«
June 29th, 2026
Revivals of »Die Fledermaus« (Roland Petit), »Jewels« (George Balanchine), »Manon« (Kenneth MacMillan), & »Giselle« (Elena Tschernischova)
Premières and repertoire (Volksoper)
»Marie Antoinette«
Thierry Malandain
December 20th, 2025
»American Signatures«
Jerome Robbins / Pam Tanowitz / Lar Lubovitch / Jessica Lang
May 9th, 2026
Revivals of »Peter Pan« (Vesna Orlić) and »KaiserRequiem« (Omer Meir Wellber & Andreas Heise)
For more information: https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/staatsballett/saison25/26/
Copyright: Vienna State Ballet / Kosmas Pavlos
And, as a Post Scriptum, I must add (Please note that this is a very personal comment of mine), that I welcome immensely the idea of having a whole Season without any of Nureyev's choreographies.
