Kunst der Fuge at Barcelona Opera House Gran Teatre Del Liceu

The mystery of Bach metamorphosed into movement

Kunst der Fuge, the first major ballet by choreographer Martin Schläpfer, has been a contemporary classic ever since it was premiered in 2002.

Choreographer Martin Schläpfer sees each of these nineteen works of counterpoint by Bach as a door opening onto a totally new experience. They are fragments of different worlds, contemporary pictures of life that intermingle as in a kaleidoscope. The result is a theatrical work in which the language of movement -- demanding, diverse and imaginative -- constitutes a careful sampling of Baroque extravagance. The choreography has a place for everything, from the classical repertory to contemporary dance, from pure ballet to Tanztheater, and from pointe shoes to high heels. It is a monument to dance with an unerring aim: that of evoking the mystery surrounding Bach´s incomparable works. The German composer worked for a decade on this musical confession, which he ultimately left unfinished.

The Ballett am Rhein has been the resident dance company of the Oper am Rhein, one of Germany´s foremost cultural institutions, since the merger of the Düsseldorf and Duisburg theatres in 1955.