Duet featuring Erika Zueneli and pianist/composer compositeur Denis Chouillet Creation at ‘Le Regard du Cygne’ studio Paris in 2011, finalized in 2013

Duration 30′

For this project, everything comes from music, in this case that of Bach, our pretext and source text, and a circumstance, that of a residency in a space equipped with two pianos. The idea came to us to use them, played by a single pianist, and to choose a number of the Goldberg Variations, a piece whose writing plays on the opportunities offered by two homogeneous keyboards. These two pianos arranged in a fan formation marked the beginning of a stage design that was complemented by a white square on the ground, allowing the dance could unfold in a simple, front-facing bias, and splitting the stage into two dedicated, fixed spaces. This formation proved to be a kind of vortex into which we fell. By playing and replaying, allowing the instrumental and choreographic gestures to shift and gradually restructure, memories or fleeting glances reappeared as if in a developing bath. This process was powerfully driven by a constant pulse and the solid architecture of these variations. We designed the piece as an environment of which we are part; with our own colors, and our individual and collective stories; all washed over by this river of Bach.

Varieazioni (from the ltalian ‘varie’: various, ‘azioni’: actions, and ‘variazioni’: variations) which enables a dual interpretation of the same music. We play and dance a “composed interpretation” of nine of the thirty “Goldberg Variations”.

Choreography and dance: Erika Zueneli
Pianos: Denis Chouillet
Music: ‘Variations Goldberg’ de J.S. Bach et Denis Chouillet.
Lighting: Sylvie Mélis
Production: L’Yeuse and non-profit organization in co-production with the “Le regard du cygne” studio (Paris) and Les Brigittines. Assistance from the Paris municipality. With the support of the French National Dance Center (CND) and Cap for studio provision.