PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Design by Elina Akselrud
Premiered: October 8, 2022
Piano & Contemporary Dance Improvisation
• A study of Scriabin’s Miniature in a crossdisciplinary setting;
• A documentary representing the project from all various angles for an in-depth view:
Research, Experimentation, Performance, Discussion
Recognition:
• Semifinalist at Zensa Media International Film Festival 2022 in Montréal, QC, Canada
• Finalist at California Music Video & Film Awards 2023 in San Francisco, CA, USA
The project is an interlacing of movement improvisation with the music of Alexander Scriabin. This composer incorporated into his compositions an expanding set of genres that involved sensations beyond the aural, such as light, color, movement, scent, touch. By means of combining multiple artistic elements, he intended to become what we would now call a multidisciplinary producer creating productions consisting of various art genres, in addition to being a composer.
The program encompasses a set of piano pieces by Alexander Scriabin, from the middle and late periods of his legacy: particularly miniatures with programmed titles, such as “Fragilité”, “Danse Languide”, “Énigma”, “Désir”, “Caresse Dansée”, “Guirlandes”, “Flammes Sombres” among others. Each of these miniatures represents a transient character that is very unique and poignant.
“Vers le Mystère” is an artistic research of the following hypothesis: how is it possible to embody these characters via a crossdisciplinary collaboration and make them more vivid through the feedback expressed in particular elements elaborated through the dance. Combined together, the aforementioned elements aid in creating a unique intersubjective system of transcribing particular musical devices into the movement, which in turn allow to pass the material between the collaborators, thus making the interpretation extensively interpersonal. Henceforth, the musical score serves as a medium to base the concept upon, however, the system that was unfolded and developed in the process can now be regarded a means of communication in a sense, making it possible to interchangeably articulate the material through various artistic disciplines.
With the help of a crossdisciplinary exchange and due to the sharpening of the human senses in such a setting, artistic interpretation can be manifested in ways that create a profound impact for both, the audience as well as for the performers themselves. This approach leads to limitless possibilities of creating a cross-disciplinary dialogue, namely a true synthesis of the arts, which was the biggest, life-long aspiration of Alexander Scriabin.
The 20 works by Alexander Scriabin, from Opp. 45, 49, 51, 52, 56, 57, 63, 72, and 73 are represented in a documentary featuring a collaboration between piano and dance, a discussion of the project concept and its development, elaboration on how the work has come to life, and the process of creative experimentation itself, research outputs, hypothesis, and exchange that allows for profound artistic research.
This project is made possible thanks to the support of the Doctoral School for Artistic Research, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz