Production Details / Press Releases
In his last string quartet op. 131, Beethoven appears to bid farewell to his entire work. All musical forms he had created until then are disassembled into autonomous parts. At the end of the piece they can no longer be held together by any compositional logic. What is left are remnants – ruins of music – which once were held to be a model of western thinking. With Beethoven, that which might appear sad sounds extremely lively and spirited, for he knows that the power of innovation can only be found in interaction with the rhythm given by the death drive. Perhaps this is the issue nowadays, too: to find the power to accept the end of our way of living, even induce it ourselves so that new things may develop after the farewell.
In “Op. 131: End/Dance” Léonard Engel investigates this in a confrontation with Beethoven’s demeanour, in order to find a possible beginning in the end of dance: alone, but supported and inspired by the music played live, he transforms his subjective delight in disassembly into a choreographic process. This process presents the entire body as an uncatchable, free, pulsating remnant, which can be felt and read beyond the imaginary (of a political ideology, a feuilletonistic programme, a theory, an interpretation). Without meaning: passionate thinking with the body which eventually only allows the beauty of the gesture. For nothing. Finally. Infinite. A beginning.
[Source: play bill]
TFB Nr. 1398
Cast & Credits
Dance: Léonard Engel
Music: Azadeh Maghsoodi (violin), Nora Romanoff-Schwarzenberg (viola), Stefan Hadjiev (cello)
Choreography: Laurent Chétouane
Costume: Sanna Dembowski
Light: Philippe Gladieux
Musical Consultant: Johann Günther
Dramaturgical Support: Mikael Marklund, Marten Weise
Production: Christine Kammer, Hendrik Unger
A production of Beethoven GbR in coproduction with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Aarhus Teater and Kampnagel Hamburg.
Sponsered by Basisförderung/Senate Department for Culture and Europe in Berlin.
Supported by the NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ Coproduction Fund for Dance, which is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
With the friendly support of DOCK 11 / EDEN***** Berlin.
HAU Hebbel am Ufer (HAU1)
Stresemannstr. 29
10963 Berlin
Tickets: +49 (0)30 259 004 27
tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de
Video Documentation
The video documentation is produced on behalf of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. The purpose of this contract is to document productions in the field of contemporary dance in Berlin. The master recordings are archived by the University Library of the Berlin University of Arts. Copies of the recordings on DVD are available for viewing exclusively in the reference collections of the following archives (at media desks in these institutions):
University Library of the Berlin University of Arts
Mediathek für Tanz und Theater des Internationalen Theaterinstituts / Mime Centrum Berlin
Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin (HZT)
Laurent Chétouane / Trailers and Video Documentations
- Laurent Chétouane: Interview / Portrait Laurent Chétouane (2011)
- Laurent Chétouane: Invisible Piece #2: As if there were no end (2018)
- Laurent Chétouane: Invisible Piece #1: Duett für hörende Körper (2018)
- Laurent Chétouane: Out of Joint / Partita 1 (2017)
- Laurent Chétouane: KHAOS (2016)
- Laurent Chétouane: SOLI (2016)
- Laurent Chétouane: Considering (2015)
- Laurent Chétouane: BACH / PASSION / JOHANNES (2014)
- Laurent Chétouane: Sacré Sacre du Printemps (2012)
- Laurent Chétouane: Hommage an das Zaudern (2012)
- Laurent Chétouane: horizon(s) (2011)
- Laurent Chétouane: Tanzstück #4: leben wollen (zusammen) (2010)