La jeune fille et la mort

Documentary on Thomas Lebrun’s production ‘La Jeune Fille et La Mort’. This romantic lied, with its origins in Greek mythology, is a clever mix of innocence and dark visions, interpreted by seven performers and a live quartet.

La Trêve(s), Switch, Itinéraire d’un danseur grassouillet and La constellation consternée: his company, Illico, asserts a statement of strong theatricalness, of demanding dance. La jeune fille et la mort, for seven interpreters and a quartet live, is another step in Thomas Lebrun’s career. The ultimate romantic lied (Der Tod und das Mädchen), which gave its name to the show, is a clever mix of candour and dark visions drawing its origins from Greek mythology: the rape of Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, by the god of the Underworld, in other words Death. Beyond this, the myth narrates the cycle of the seasons and was a source of inspiration for artists at all times. Thomas Lebrun explains: “While preserving the distance that history has had to face with the lyricism of the time and while finding the place in what contemporary choreographic art produces, I would like to scour today’s romanticism with an eclectic team of artists”. From Anthony Cazaux to Odile Azagury and Christine Gérard, from Corinne Lopez to Raphaël Cottin, from Christian Ubl to Anne-Sophie Lancelin, it is another choreographic constellation across generations that is taking shape. Romanticism according to Thomas Lebrun is timeless: his maiden will “see, accept, dare, resist, commit”. And we will accompany her. 

Source: Philippe Noisette