The inimitable Malandain Ballet Biarritz takes the stage at La Lanterne in Rambouillet, France, for a top-notch trio of ballets choreographed by Thierry Malandain. The triple feature kicks off with the intimate and sensual solo piece Silhouette, set to music from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major. Dancer Frederik Deberdt shines in the minimalist showcase, by turns frenetic and gentle, and captivating throughout.
Next, the eminent Malandain invites us to rediscover beloved works by Chopin in Nocturnes, in which pianistic acrobatics by the great Franco-Polish composer perfectly accompany the dancers’ fluid leaps and graceful contorsions. Finally, the hypnotic Estro closes out the program in a blue-hued, meditative ambiance, with the delicate group choreography executed in flawless harmony to the sounds of Vivaldi’s soul-stirring Stabat Mater.
Silhouette (Beethoven) 2016
This solo was created for dancer Frederik Deberdt in Biarritz. Etienne de Silhouette, a financial inspector under Louis XV, gave his name to the portraits of the face’s silhouette. This solo is a miniature through which the silhouette of the dancer Vaslav Nijinski passes.
Estro (Vivaldi) 2016
Thierry Malandain created this ballet on the elevation of desire with the aim to reach the peak, or, in the words of André Lendger: “It is easier today to climb a peak of 8000 meters than getting a few centimetres within oneself.”
Nocturnes (Chopin) 2016
Fréderic Chopin translated the moods that tortured him into his Nocturnes. By transcending the idea of combining two things as conflicting as dance and death, Nocturnes is as a fresco, like a dream crushed under the weight of eternal melancholy.