“Maurice Béjart used to say, ‘Only music can speak of death,’ yet he choreographed a poignant pas de deux at the heart of his sweeping ballet Malraux ou la Métamorphose des dieux (1986) to Beethoven’s ‘Violin Sonata Op. 30’… In the middle of the bare stage, a man faces the firing squad. A woman appears… she hands him the condemned man’s cigarette. Could it be death?
Between dream and reality, he then performs this ‘Adage pour deux’ with her: a final dance.

MUSICAL REFERENCES

Ludwig van Beethoven

Album : Violin Sonatas Complete ; Titre : Violin Sonatas in C minor Op.30 – Adagio cantabile ; Interprètes : Arthur Grumiaux (violon), Clara Haskil (piano) ; Distribution : Brillant Classics