About the work
"Fearful Symmetries" is a ballet by Christian Spuck, artistic director and chief choreographer of the Staatsballett Berlin, premiered on 30 May 2026 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The work was created to the eponymous composition "Fearful Symmetries" (1988) by John Adams and translates its rhythmic intensity and driving energy into movement. The title derives from the phrase "fearful symmetry" in William Blake's poem "The Tyger" (1794), by which Adams himself was inspired – less by the poem's content than by the suggestive power of the words.
Plot
The plotless ballet follows the music entirely: John Adams's "Fearful Symmetries" is a pulsing, minimalist-repetitive orchestral work of great rhythmic force, oscillating between mechanical rigour and exhilarating drive. Spuck translates this structure into a dense web of solos, duets and ensemble formations in which patterns form, shift and break. From the tension between symmetry and asymmetry, order and impending dissolution, the evening draws its hypnotic pull – an abstract play with energy, precision and the ceaseless movement of time.
Cultural significance
With "Fearful Symmetries", Christian Spuck continues his exploration of the relationship between dance and contemporary music and enriches the repertoire of the Staatsballett Berlin with an abstract, highly musical work. John Adams's score is among the most striking pieces of American minimal music and has inspired numerous choreographers; Spuck's reading takes its place within this tradition and combines it with the sound culture of the Staatskapelle Berlin. The evening stands for a contemporary ballet that transfers the energy of the music directly into physical form.