The Goldberg Variations are among Johann Sebastian Bach’s most mature works. In it, the composer pushes the density of his writing to the extreme, masterfully playing with all the resources of variation, canon and fugue. From a simple basso continuo, the one that serves as a framework for the first and peaceful Aria of the work, a dazzling musical universe unfolds, of breathtaking diversity and complexity.
Together with the young pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker continues her long and stubborn association with Bach. After the extensive cast of the six Brandenburg Concertos, her previous work on Bach’s music, she has now opted for a solo performance, which she performs herself.
She remains faithful to her most decisive principle: basing her choreography on the study of musical scores. With its thirty or so variations of all kinds, the music of the Goldberg Variations presents a formidable and exciting challenge: to invent a dance form that is constantly changing, yet revolves around a fixed focus. This is an opportunity for Anne Teresa De Keersmaker to re-read the path she has travelled in the light of contemporary issues, and to probe the persistence of her desire as a choreographer.
