Sketches on Ligeti
Research work on the first book
of György Ligeti’s Piano Etudes
Monodrama Festival Luxembourg, Kunstfest Weimar, WonderWomen Festival, Tuscany
Where do dance and music meet? One might immediately assume that no two other forms of art have ever entered into a closer and more intricate relationship than these. But let’s be more precise, then: Where do dance and music meet if the objective is not — not at all — to mimic or to mirror, to illustrate, to produce an atmosphere, to provide a backdrop, or even to merely co-exist, neatly separated? György Ligeti said of his Études that they behaved, in a compositional and pianistic sense, like “growing organisms”. Following this line of thought, the choreographer Elisabeth Schilling and the pianist Cathy Krier will seek to create an unprecedented take on the Études, treating dance and music as contiguous forms growing alongside and into each other, thus producing a dance-concert and concert-dance in which neither form shall dominate the other.
Press
The first performance was of great beauty: “Sketches on Ligeti”. This creation by Elisabeth Schilling (choreographer) and Cathy Krier (pianist), requires a lot of body control and powerful piano skills. Cathy Krier, whose international reputation is well known, played the piano studies of the Hungarian composer György Ligeti magnificently. Music and visuel poetry go hand in hand. Elisabeth Schilling is perfect, her body leaves, her body travels, her body is both space and sublimation. The dancer’s movements are jerky, sometimes violent, the two artists join a state of mind similar to trance. Cathy’s fingers crystallize the music, offering her that vertigo that the interpretation needs. Sometimes her fingers are like automatons, then, in the following second, they take on the grace of a swan. Elisabeth is silent, while her whole body unveils mysteries associated with Ligeti’s music.
Michel Schroeder, Zeitung zum Letzeburger Vollek
Audience Voices
‘We were strongly touched by the tight, intimate collaboration of live piano an body in motion. Not only is Cathy Krier’s rendering of Ligèty’s music an asset for the show to come, but her sheer physical, highly concentrated presence on stage adds to Elisabeth Schilling’s round and well considered, poetic, yet clear and readable dance moves. We consider the project to associate both talents to be a plain success.’
Steve Karier, artistic director Monodrama Festival Luxembourg
‚These first choreographic research results are promising. The harmony and interplay between Cathy Krier and Elisabeth Schilling is already at a very high level.’
Bernard Baumgarten, artistic director TROIS C-L, Centre de Création Chorégraphique Luxembourgeois
‚We had the pleasure to guest a two weeks residency of Ms. Shilling in our studio last June. I was really impressed by the concept of her «Mosaikgleiche Augenblicklichkeiten, Skizzen zu Ligeti» and the severe work that she did on the performing aspect of it. I specially appreciated the refined conceptual relation between the very complex and rigid piano score and the open, even though surprisingly precise, movement pattern. This is why we decided to present the Ligeti project in our next autumn programation.‘
Roberto Castello, artistic director SPAM! – rete per le arti contemporani
More infos on:
Credit: Martina Stampf / Tanz*Hotel Wien (photos nr 2-6)
Credit: Candy Welz (photos nr 7-12)
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
