Elisabeth gets her way

The new solo created and performed by Jan Martens will be a danced  portrait of the Polish-born Elisabeth Chojnacka (1939–2017), an  exceptionally talented and passionate musician who contributed to the  revival of harpsichord music in the middle of the twentieth century.

While in 1968 the Paris student revolt challenged old ideals,  Chojnacka discovered avant-garde composers such as François-Bernard  Mâche and began to play more regularly the few contemporary works for  harpsichord, in addition to the classical pieces that were always part  of her repertoire. In part thanks to her talent and perseverance, a  number of composers (Ligeti, Xenakis, Ferrari, Berio, Halffter, etc.)  wrote new work for the harpsichord in the 1970s and 1980s. These were  often dedicated to Chojnacka.

ELISABETH GETS HER WAY wants to pay tribute to this  exceptional woman. The solo will be a danced portrait with a  wide-ranging soundtrack, consisting of a selection of the music she  recorded in her fifty-year career: from Nyman to Montague via Ligeti,  all performed by Chojnacka. The objective is to keep the dance close to the sometimes complex scores. Martens  ‘plays’ his body like Chojnacka played the harpsichord. Different  styles of movement are brought together, just as she effortlessly wound  her way between registers and genres with a few centuries of musical  history in her fingers. The dance pieces in the solo will be  complemented by a documentary layer in which Chojnacka’s work and life  are discussed narratively, among others through interviews with people  who were close to her.

Martens set to work earlier with a performance by Chojnacka in any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones  (premiere on February 4, 2021), a work for 17 dancers. The concerto for  harpsichord and strings by Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, which she  performed with the London Sinfonietta, plays an important role in that  production. In 2021 it will be fifty years exactly since Chojnacka released her first album: Clavecin 2000. An ideal moment to pay homage to this remarkable woman with a solo in which she is given the time and space she deserves. 

Source: Grip

More information: www.grip.house