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William Kentridge’s *Oh to Believe in Another World* is an hour-long collage animation and live-action ballet performed at the Baku international arts festival in Azerbaijan. The work features choreography by Kentridge and is set to the live orchestral accompaniment of Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop. The production honors the 120th anniversary of Shostakovich’s birth and his relationship with Azerbaijani pianist Elmira Nazirova.
The performance utilizes puppets, masks, and human dancers to depict Soviet figures such as Stalin, Lenin, Trotsky, and the poet Mayakovsky. The animation explores the themes of the October Revolution and Stalinist tyranny, using the title's maxim, “We’ll chase humanity into happiness with an iron fist.”
The performance utilizes puppets, masks, and human dancers to depict Soviet figures such as Stalin, Lenin, Trotsky, and the poet Mayakovsky. The animation explores the themes of the October Revolution and Stalinist tyranny, using the title's maxim, “We’ll chase humanity into happiness with an iron fist.”