Peer Gynt: The broken globetrotter dances in the Palatinate building!

Peer Gynt: The broken globetrotter dances in the Palatinate building!

Christiania, Norwegen - On May 31, 2025, the Slovenian National Ballet celebrated an impressive performance of "Peer Gynt", a choreography of the internationally recognized Edward Clug. The origin story comes from Henrik Ibsen and was published in 1867. The story follows the opportunistic globetrotter Peer Gynt, while describing his trips from the fjord -like mountains of Norway to the exotic North African desert. The Baltic Opera describes the processes in various files and highlights the locations, including Egypt. In the first act, Peer dreams of a hunt for a white deer and is scolded by his mother Åse for his träge behavior. His ambitions to marry Ingrid fail dramatically when he encounters jealousy during the wedding. Peer flees with Ingrid, but quickly loses interest and meets a mysterious woman who takes him into the Trollreich.

In the second act, Peer turned into a wealthy capitalist and travels into the Moroccan desert, only to be cheated by Anitra. He learns of the fleeting nature of his prosperity and is forced to face his life decisions in a nervous attitude. There he is given a vision of his past, including Ingrid and Mads Moen. Finally he returns to Solveig, who gives him unconditional love, even though the time works against her.

a piece of timeless relevance

The first performance of "Peer Gynt" took place on February 24, 1876 in Christiania, today's Oslo. With its five files and 40 scenes, the piece has exceeded the limits of dramatic narrative art and is still performed in both traditional and modern interpretations. It was able to captivate the audience through topics such as procrastination, egoism and the search for self. The awareness of the work is underpinned by the annually organized Peer Gynt Festival in Gudbrandsdalen, which has been offering a platform for outdoor performance since 1967.

"Peer Gynt" remains a fascinating work of world literature, in which Ibsen's own experiences and family history are braided through the characters. The influence of Norwegian fairy tales and the modernized linguistic implementation make the piece a highlight of the dramatic literature. wikipedia refers to the numerous adaptations that it has experienced in the film and in theater, as well as to the sculpture park in Oslo, which is dedicated to the Ibsen's masterpiece.