SENSORIAL SYMPHONIES
Touring pack
Commissioned by Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
Première – Autumn 2025, Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg
Sensorial Symphonies, envisioned by Elisabeth Schilling, Associate Artist at Théâtres de la Ville, emerges as a new choreographic endeavor that seeks to fuse the emotive power of Sergej Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 with a profound investigation into our connection with nature and the wisdom it holds.
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Creating a choreographic work in which the vegetal world is put centre stage, Sensorial Symphonies asks: How are our emotions evolving in a post-human world aware it is about to implode, disconnected from our belonging to nature?
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This artistic exploration is both timely and timeless, addressing the urgent contemporary concerns of environmental degradation and disconnection from the natural world while delving into the enduring human quest for emotional understanding and expression.
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From a musical perspective, this creation envisions to root Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in a newly commissioned contemporary sound score consisting uniquely of sounds emitted by or inspired by the vegetal world. The movement and choreographic idea will invite to delve into a world of multi-sensorial experiences inspired by plants, celebrating their phenomena of interdependence, symbiosis, reciprocity and nature’s exuberance of shapes, odeurs and textures.
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Sensorial Symphonies is a profound exploration of the interconnectedness of life, using the music, dance, and the natural world to weave a narrative that transcends traditional human-centric viewpoints. By integrating the emotional depth of Rachmaninov’s music with the subtle complexities of plant life, this new work proposes a radical shift in perception that could nurture a deeper, more empathetic relationship with our environment.
PLANT SOUNDS / TECHNICALITIES
For the creation Sensorial Symphonies, we decided to use direct sound from the plant world that was untranslated and recorded with non-violent methods. No electricity sensors or any type of sonic translation was used, as we wanted the connection to the vegetal world to be as direct as possible.
For the score, several trees and plant bodies around the world were recorded between April 2024 – autumn 2025. What you hear is the sap streams, sound of the roots and the clicking sounds of several plants reacting to their environment. Amongst the technical gear were sea – series pro contact microphones made by sound artists Jez Riley French and his daughter Pheobe Riley Law, also used by David Attenborough.
We also integrated several sonic excerpts of scientific research into plant sound. Amongst the plants recorded are young cherry blossom trees, beech, pine trees and tomato plants.
SCALE
Mid-scale: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5 dancers
4 musicians on stage
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The piece will be available with or without live music.
A tech rider can be shared further in development of the piece.
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Duration: 1 hour
IN CONVERSATION WITH ELISABETH
How might we conceive of the bond between dance and music?
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No other art forms are as profoundly linked as dance and music. Just as today, no bond between art forms is as studied and analysed from all sides as the coexistence, interconnectedness — one might even call it intertwining — of dance and music. I am aware I am generalizing a lot, but very broadly speaking, back in the day, ballet’s role was that of a supportive act for the music. Dance in the neoclassical period imitated
music by retracing its lines and sculpting it through the dancers’ bodies.
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Where do you situate your work in relation to this idea?
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I’m not trying to reiterate through dance what the music is doing, because I don’t conceive of dance as a mere crutch for music, quite the opposite. Their bond, which I conceive of as a many-layered interdependence, is one I approach from several angles: scientific as well as emotional, textural as well as rhythmic. In these varied ways, what I
seek are sparks of inspiration which will lead to movement.
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When I created my first group project in 2020, HEAR EYES MOVE. Dances with Ligeti (a choreographic interpretation of Györgi Ligeti’s 18 etudes for piano), I was seeking inspiration in the rhythmic structures found in the realms of physics and mathematics—as did Ligeti himself. At the same time, I was looking to develop my own identity in and through dance, so as not to simply imitate what the music was doing—an identity on equal footing with the musical score, independent yet also interdependent, based on an intricate and delicate language of movement. You might say I emulated Ligeti’s compositional method through dance, allowing things to magnetise and converge, to be drawn to one another, leaning on network theory, chaos theory, complex systems, and actions and consequences.
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Can dance and choreography be perceived at a more abstract level?
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In my work, I differentiate between two phases. First, there is my scientific research, for which I read musical scores, analysing compositions, rhythmic structures and melodies, but I also learn about the composer’s life and sources of inspiration, which inform my own
process. Then, there is the more abstract side of dance and choreography, attained through a wordless kind of language. I try to conceive of music through a kind of emotional, choreographic hearing, based on personal, creative association. I hear textures and allow images to come to mind, and all of a sudden I see things: a tree swaying in the wind, someone taking flight through an open window.
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So I try to bring the dancers together, in order to make them react to images or associations drawn from nature. I ask them to think of their bodies as a reflection on the water, or leaves in the wind, or a dried-up sunflower field, leaving behind their human bodies to instead become elements.
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This is a choreographic concept you’ve developed in a previous project, Florescence in Decay.
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I created Florescence in Decay in 2022, based on music by the contemporary composer Anna Meredith. Conceived for nine dancers, this work deepened my choreographic investigation into the relationship between music and dance, a relationship which, in working closely with the musical composition, I came to understand as a highly detailed, complex and interdependent one.
In this piece, I explored themes such a cyclicality, natural metamorphosis, our concept of the solar year. It’s a piece that evokes the world of plants from a cosmological perspective, focusing on our intrinsic bond with the natural world of which we humans are a part, and from which we cannot be separated entirely. I envisaged something like
zooming out, a big-picture concept of our relationship with living things. I wanted to dance a growing and blooming flower, which is then eaten by a cow, then digested.
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On stage, ever since HEAR EYES MOVE, I’ve tried to render this as the relationship between bodies which, though not physically touching, are nevertheless expressing through dance the potential effects they have on one another. If one of them turns around, the others turn with it. Dancing in canon, so to speak, rather than in unison: the same movements overlapping, linked in sequence, action and consequence. Ever gesture impacts the system as a whole. It’s become an important stylistic device in my work.
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You’re currently working on a new project using Rachmaninov’s music, but that project goes even further.
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I’ve fallen in love with Rachmaninov’s music, even if it’s sometimes considered to be kitsch. I love the brilliance of his virtuosity, though it’s precisely this virtuosity that makes
Rachmaninov’s work a challenging one to transform into choreography. I find that in contemporary dance we are rather too afraid of strong emotions, too unwilling to face them. Then again, I was really keen to tackle a great composer. I read and listen to a lot of music, and after nursing this desire for a long time I’ve now finally plucked up the
courage to use Rachmaninov’s music to further my research on the interrelatedness of rhythm, textures, and the world of plants.
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But, indeed, I’d like to take things further. For this project, I intend to combine the piano concerto n.2 in C minor with a newly commissioned piece by the contemporary sound artist and musician Alexandra Duvekot. Fascinated by plants’ capacity to produce actual sounds, which can be amplified, Duvekot has worked with plant sounds since 2012. In
combining two seeming opposites, we aim to root Rachmaninov’s three-part piano concerto in and around Duvekot’s contemporary composition for plant sounds, thus uniting the polyphonic nature sounds with the virtuosity of the solo concerto, creating an aesthetic contrast between the contemporary and a Western classic. Likewise, in Rachmaninov’s work, the entire concerto seems to germinate from the seed of three
notes, from which the entire melody grows in an organic, plantlike way.
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For me, it’s a matter of creating a truly emotional event, something as intense, overflowing and fierce as nature itself, with its scents and shapes, its darkness and incredible beauty. Instead of separating art (and culture) from nature, I combine their parallel characteristics, putting dance on equal footing with the philosophical study of plant life. When we walk in the woods, we can feel the the energy emitted by plants and
trees, and I want dance to emit the same kind of energy—a dance conveying the sensation of tree bark. I envisage choreographic sequences, which take on the appearance of plants, bringing to the stage the sensorial oneness of nature.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Emotional and Environmental Symbiosis
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At the heart of Sensorial Symphonies lies the exploration of the symbiotic relationship between human emotion and the natural world. This symbiosis reflects not just a biological or ecological truth but also a deep emotional and spiritual connection that humans have historically shared with nature—a connection that is increasingly strained by modern life and the looming threats of ecological collapse and existential uncertainty.
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Rachmaninov’s 2 nd Piano Concerto & the Choreographic Approach
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Elisabeth is deeply fascinated by the virtuosity and the inherent emotional impact of proposed musical composition – elements that have somewhat fallen out of favor in the contemporary realms of dance and music. In her pursuit to redefine the expressive capabilities of dance, Elisabeth is determined to challenge and dismantle some of the existing choreographic constraints of how to convey ‘emotionality’ in relation to such virtuosic and romantic score through contemporary dance. Her intention to delve into the exuberance of Rachmaninov’s music through a contemporary lens is not just an exploration of the music’s intrinsic attributes, but a quest to redefine what emotion in dance can convey in the modern world.
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Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is a masterpiece of the Romantic era, characterized by its affectionate resonance, lyrical melodies, and technical virtuosity. These qualities offer a rich tapestry of content for Elisabeth to explore through movement. The challenge lies in translating this ’emotionality’—so closely tied to the Romantic era’s expressive ideals— into a form that resonates with contemporary audiences. Elisabeth’s approach suggests a movement away from direct emotional representation towards a more nuanced, abstracted interpretation that reflects the complexity and fluidity of contemporary emotional landscapes.
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Having worked closely with complex compositional scores such as with works by György Ligeti, Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna Meredith in her past choreographic creations, Elisabeth is experienced in choreographically interpreting musical sophistication. Following this history of working, she is interested in Rachmaninov’s oeuvre as a continuation of her choreographic past. With Rachmaninov being a composer of the late Romantic era, she envisions to create a contemporary perspective on this music in choreography: a new ‘emotionality’ in complex forms.
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In Elisabeth’s vision, this new emotionality is less defined, it is not fixed: instead it is ’shapeless’, ‘ever-changing’, ‘metamorphosing’ thus escapes the traditional definition of a human ‘emotion’ as we know it.
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Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto & a newly commissioned contemporary score of plant sounds
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Plants make sounds in frequencies inaudible to the human ear: the growth of plants, the way the roots reach and extend in the earth, the oxygen exchange with the air around them, the communication with other plants and animals, the way they suck up and distribute the water from the ground. Plant sounds can be understood as a means of communication, and it appears that plants react to mankind and its environment.
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Collaborating composer Alexandra Duvekot has worked with the sound of plants through her ‘Plant Orchestra’ since 2012. In Sensorial Symphonies, it is envisioned that Rachmaninov’s three – part piano concerto is to be rooted, surrounded, and enveloped in a newly commissioned contemporary score of plant sounds.
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The integration of plant sounds into the new creation alongside Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 bridges the gap between nature and human expression through music and dance. This approach not only expands the auditory palette of the performance but also introduces profound thematic layer that explores the interconnectedness of all living things.
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This new composition will consist of three layers:
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1. A base line of the sonic experience of being inside a plant
The base line will consist of a musical experience that offers the sensation of being inside plants—such as a tree, a root, a rosehip, or a flower bulb— presents a unique and immersive auditory journey. While the actual sound of being inside these natural structures is beyond human experience due to the differences in audible frequency, modern technology and artistic interpretation can bridge this gap, creating an experience inspired by these phenomena.
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2. Voices of the Plants made audible live
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Incorporating live plant sounds into the performance adds an element of immediacy and unpredictability, emphasizing the concept that plants are active participants in their environment. This layer highlights the dynamic interaction between human and plant life, suggesting a form of communication and mutual influence that often goes unrecognized.
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3. Interpretation of Natural Textures inspired by Dancer’s Movements
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The third layer bridges the organic sounds of plants with the human element of the performance, using acoustic instruments to interpret the textures and movements of the natural world as inspired by the dancers. This layer acts as a bridge between the plant and human worlds, with the dancers’ movements directly influencing the musical interpretation of natural processes. It emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, in which each influence is inspired by the other.
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The Plant Sounds & The Choreographic Approach: from plants to dance to a musical score
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How can movement be developed inspired by plants? Which movement ideas arise translating shapes, scent, and haptic experiences of the vegetal world into the human body? How can contemporary philosophy on plants inspire choreographic ideas? In which ways can phenomena of the vegetal world like rooting, florescence, growing and decaying inspire choreographic images? How would scientific findings of plant communication inspire movement relationships in dance?
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It is these questions that drive the choreographic exploration. Themes that are furthermore present in the research are the textural embodiment of being with the plants, the interdependence between plant body and human body and the quality of being an organism composed of multiple bodies.
Elisabeth envisions to create in dance an ecosystem, in which the
performers are attached to each other, not free, but dependent on each other, continuously adapting, metamorphosing their way through living, but never as singular, always through each other.
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Whilst, in the past, Elisabeth often created choreography stemming from an already existing score, she would now like to – together with composer Alexandra Duvekot – explore which compositional potentials can be found starting the musical creation process from the dance. Having extensive knowledge on music herself, Elisabeth is especially interested in creating complex rhythmical structures and making a variety of textures audible. Alexandra and Elisabeth furthermore envision the music / dance relationship to be of an intricate, complex, and interdepended nature, reaching a greater complexity than a mere auditive backdrop to the dance.
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Rounding off…
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Sensorial Symphonies is a profound exploration of the interconnectedness of life, using the music, dance, and the natural world to weave a narrative that transcends traditional human-centric viewpoints. By integrating the emotional depth of Rachmaninov’s music with the subtle complexities of plant life, this new work proposes a radical shift in perception that could nurture a deeper, more empathetic relationship with our environment.
Lou begann im Alter von 5 Jahren in ihrer Heimatstadt zu tanzen. Im Jahr 2012 schloss sie sich dem Ballet Junior de Genève an, wo sie Werke von renommierten Choreografen wie Andonis Foniadakis oder Hofesh Schechter tanzte. 2016 schloss sie sich dem Kamea Dance Cie in Israel an, wo sie unter anderem Werke des Regisseurs Tamir Ginz, aber auch von Nacho Duato und Marco Goecke tanzte. Seit 2020 ist sie als Gasttänzerin am Grand Théâtre de Genève engagiert und arbeitet seitdem als freischaffende Tänzerin.
Johanna Schmitt
Johanna Schmitt
