Mathilde Monnier / Dance On Ensemble & Judit Varga (FR/DE & AT/HU)
MUSIQUE – In the Spirit of Johann Strauss

The Missing Step

In a very personal research project, French choreographer Mathilde Monnier and the Dance On Ensemble, founded in Berlin with exceptional dancers over 40 years of age, dedicate themselves to the era of Johann Strauss. Fascinated by the times of the great Viennese balls, which echoes in us through Johann Strauss’ music, they bring its intensity back to life without any nostalgia. Fragments of well-known melodies, the rustle of elegant gowns and dancing silhouettes create a fleeting, ghostly universe, a shadowy realm of the sensuality and atmosphere of the time. Judit Varga composes music inspired by Johann Strauss’ pieces, their timbres and atmosphere. However, we do not hear the waltzes as they are usually played by a large orchestra. Instead, Strauss’ piano versions of his orchestral works serve as the basis – like images of distant dreams that evoke the composer’s spirit in sound. A Disklavier, a “self-playing piano”, reinforces the impression that not only the sound, but also Strauss’ spirit dwells among the dancing shadows – and is congenially accompanied on a second grand piano on stage by composer Judit Varga herself.