Ligeti Essays

Entering its second season, Armitage Gone! Dance debuts the world premiere of Ligeti Essays, a twenty-three movement suite of concise, jewel-like poems based on the music of György Ligeti. Ligeti, who passed away in Vienna on June 12, 2006, was one of the most influential composers of the 20th Century and was renowned for his vast range of new musical ideas offering penetrating insight into human consciousness. In addition to Ligeti Essays, the company also performs Karole Armitage’s new adaptation of Time is the echo of an axe within the wood.

Ligeti Essays begins with three song cycles written to the poetry of fellow Hungarian Sandor Weöres at different times in György Ligeti’s career. Some songs portray sensual reveries with images derived from the poet’s love of nature, while others ponder the cruelty of society. The result is a haiku-like vision of frozen time, an imaginary space that unfolds into the present but is infused with memory. This is followed by “The Hamburg Concerto,” Ligeti’s last major work. The audience is held captive under the spell of soft ethereal melodies as Armitage explores the disruptions and pleasures of modern life. Essays closes with the celebrated “Musica Ricercata” for solo piano.

Time is the echo of an axe within a wood was created in 2004 as an hour-long work with music by several composers. This new version focuses and expands upon the Béla Bartók section of the original. Like the music, the dance alternates lyrical, contemplative passages with visceral explosions, exploring the tension between grace and a world out of joint. The theme of time, both physical and psychological, is a thread that links dream, memory and clock-time together throughout the work.

Armitage Gone! Dance is a contemporary dance ensemble that strives to revolutionize classical dance with innovative, choreographic creations.