Adagio Hammerklavier

Adagio Hammerklavier (1973) marks the period in which Hans van Manen started to use classical pointework more often, and in this ‘timeless classic of twentieth-century dance’ he did so in a way that was exceptionally lyrical for him.

As usual, Van Manen took his inspiration from the music; in this case, Christoph Eschenbach’s unusually slow performance of the adagio from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata no. 29 in B-flat major. The master choreographer was inspired to carry out a deep investigation into just how slow a movement can be. He once described the result as, “a wheel that is still just moving after a push, just before it falls.”

In the opening section and the subsequent short pieces for the six soloists, it is evident how much the dancers have to move as one and almost breathe together. Each group section is followed by a duet for one of the couples. The first is tender, although the woman does regularly try to escape the man. Here, the movement idiom is downwards and grounded, whereas the second dynamic duet seems about to take flight, with snappy extensions and high lifts. The tangible unrest of these two duets makes way in the third pas de deux for harmony and submission. In breathtaking slow motion, the deceleration reaches its absolute peak here.

Music by Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 29, Op. 106 III. Adagio sostenuto

Performed live by:

Colin Scott - Piano

Set design by

Jean Paul Vroom

Lighting design by

Jan Hofstra

Lighting revival by

Bert Dalhuysen

Restaged by

Larisa Lezhnina & Rachel Beaujean

Costume design by

Jean Paul Vroom

Costumes provided by

English National Ballet

Running time 25 minutes