A REWORKING of a Bach masterpiece by the Scottish Ensemble that has played to audiences around the world is to return to Scotland in March.
The collaboration with Swedish dance ensemble Andersson Dance has been performed in an impressive selection of venues – ranging from Shanghai Concert Hall to the John F Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
The production of Goldberg Variations: Ternary Patterns For Insomnia will visit Glasgow’s Tramway, Dundee’s Caird Hall and Eden Court in Inverness, with the Scottish tour followed by a performance in Leeds and four performances across the Netherlands.
Published in 1741 as an aria and set of 30 variations for harpsichord, Bach’s Goldberg Variations remains one of the most well-known and most celebrated pieces ever written.
The Scottish Ensemble’s bold 21st-century interpretation features choreography by Örjan Andersson and musical direction by artistic director Jonathan Morton, with the cross-artform performance blending 11 musicians and five dancers.
First produced in 2015, Goldberg Variations: ternary patterns for insomnia, has become a central piece of work for Scottish Ensemble, exemplifying their approach to modernising and re-contextualising classical music.
The show brings a fresh visual dimension to Bach’s revered piece of music, allowing audiences to enjoy its humour, humanity and beauty in an entirely new way.
Paul Lee of Andersson Dance said: “It seems like you are offered an experience of three things at the same time: the music, the dance, and what they become together.”
Morton said it felt “natural” to bring the piece back to the Ensemble’s home audiences in Scotland.
“I think we all feel that this endeavour has been such a vital part of the recent developments that have shaped Scottish Ensemble into what it is today,” he said.
Based in Glasgow, Scottish Ensemble is the UK’s leading string orchestra and regularly collaborates with high-profile guest artists, from trumpeter Alison Balsom and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly to cellist Pieter Wispelwey and violinists Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Nicola Benedetti.
The Ensemble is also becoming increasingly known for its international collaborations with artists from other disciplines, from dance and theatre companies to visual artists.
Starting in 2014, their series of annual cross-artform collaborations has so far included immersive projects with visual artist Toby Paterson, Andersson Dance; electronic-classical crossover composer Anna Meredith, visual artist Eleanor Meredith, and Scottish theatre company Vanishing Point.
Recent invitations to tour abroad have resulted in performances at prestigious venues in Taiwan, China, Brazil, the USA and across Europe.
