Dance

The Six Brandenburg Concertos

A performance in aural and physical dimensions

Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburgische Konzerte, BWV 1046-1051
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Choreography
Rosas
Dance company
Amandine Beyer
Musical direction during creation
Cecilia Bernardini
Musical direction and violin solo in La Villette
Jan Vandenhouwe
Dramaturgy
Jan Versweyveld
Set and lighting design
An D'Huys
Costumes

During her 1980 stay in New York, in which she first rehearsed her celebrated Violin Phase to the music of Steve Reich, the only other recording playing in Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s studio was the Brandenburg Concertos by J.S. Bach. Thirty-five years later, De Keersmaeker continues her work with the piece. “Like no other, Bach’s music carries within itself movement and dance, managing to combine the greatest abstraction with a concrete, physical and, subsequently, even transcendental dimension.”

The Brandenburg Concertos consist of six concerti grossi, in which Bach deploys the instruments from the baroque orchestra in different, often audacious constellations. Against this backdrop, De Keersmaeker sets sixteen dancers originating in different Rosas generations. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker approaches Bach’s music as if it were a ready-made score for a dance piece, embodying Bach’s polyphonic mastery. This approach, combined with the energetic live music of B’Rock Orchestra, leaves no one untouched and has been a huge success in venues throughout the world. Violinist Amandine Beyer, with whom De Keersmaeker had already created the production Partita 2, leads the orchestra.

—

With the support of Gli Incogniti.

Bach’s musical oeuvre has always been a guiding light for me, from the very beginning of my career. However, I felt that at the time I wasn’t ready yet to really take on its complexity and abundance, and transpose it into dance. The deeper I’ve managed to penetrate the structure of Bach’s music these past years, the more Bach’s absolute genius has revealed itself to me.
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
"Die Gruppe von sechs Instrumentalkonzerten von Johann Sebastian Bach in der Umsetzung des B’Rock Orchestra hat dem kritischen Festwochenpublikum nach seiner Österreich-Premiere im Theater an der Wien einen wahren Begeisterungssturm abgerungen."
Der Standard
« But it was de Keersmaeker’s sophisticated and idiosyncratic musical response, to both melody and rhythmic pattern, that kept us riveted - with the help of the B’Rock Orchestra, the excellent early music ensemble below the stage.»
Financial Times
"Un choc violent, ensorcelant, tout en force et lumière divine"
L’Echo
"Musiziert wird auf Originalklanginstrumenten in hoher Qualität, stehend im Graben. Wunderbare Soli, etwa an der Traversflöte oder am Cembalo gehen mit den ihnen zugeordneten Tänzern hinreißende Liebesbeziehungen ein und erleuchten sich gegenseitig in schillernden Farben."
Salzburger Nachrichten
"Das Publikum im Theater an der Wien – vom Parkett bis zu den bis zum Schluss gefüllten Stehplätzen – dankt es dem Ensemble mit tosendem Applaus."
ORF
the six pillars of Brandenburg
a swarm follows the invisible paths
line, circle and zigzag
they do so for hundreds of years

In the 22/23 season, B'Rock's artistic family member Clara Spilliaert translates our programmes into her own language, based on associations and triggers she encounters in our musical plans. This is the artwork and poem that she made for The Six Brandenburg Concertos.
Past shows
December 23, 2022 Friday 19:00
Paris, FR La Villette
December 22, 2022 Thursday 19:00
Paris, FR La Villette
December 21, 2022 Wednesday 19:00
Paris, FR La Villette
October 6, 2021 Wednesday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
October 5, 2021 Tuesday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
October 3, 2021 Sunday 15:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
October 2, 2021 Saturday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
October 1, 2021 Friday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
May 7, 2020 Thursday 20:00
London, GB - CANCELLED Sadler's Wells Theatre
May 6, 2020 Wednesday 20:00
London, GB - CANCELLED Sadler's Wells Theatre
February 23, 2020 Sunday 15:00
Geneva, CH Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
February 22, 2020 Saturday 20:00
Geneva, CH Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
February 21, 2020 Friday 20:00
Geneva, CH Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
February 20, 2020 Thursday 20:00
Geneva, CH Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
July 6, 2019 Saturday 20:00
Montpellier, FR Montpellier Danse, Opéra Berlioz / Le Corum
July 5, 2019 Friday 20:00
Montpellier, FR Montpellier Danse, Opéra Berlioz / Le Corum
June 12, 2019 Wednesday 20:00
Luxembourg, LU Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
June 8, 2019 Saturday 20:15
Amsterdam, NL Holland Festival, Koninklijk Theater Carré
June 7, 2019 Friday 20:15
Amsterdam, NL Holland Festival, Koninklijk Theater Carré
June 6, 2019 Thursday 20:15
Amsterdam, NL Holland Festival, Koninklijk Theater Carré
June 4, 2019 Tuesday 18:00
Wien, AT Wiener Festwochen, Theater an der Wien
June 3, 2019 Monday 20:00
Wien, AT Wiener Festwochen, Theater an der Wien
May 26, 2019 Sunday 16:00
Lille, FR Opéra de Lille
May 25, 2019 Saturday 18:00
Lille, FR Opéra de Lille
May 24, 2019 Friday 20:00
Lille, FR Opéra de Lille
April 6, 2019 Saturday 20:00
Antwerpen, BE deSingel
April 5, 2019 Friday 20:00
Antwerpen, BE deSingel
April 4, 2019 Thursday 20:00
Antwerpen, BE deSingel
April 3, 2019 Wednesday 20:00
Antwerpen, BE deSingel
March 21, 2019 Thursday 20:00
Gent, BE Vooruit & Bijloke Muziekcentrum
March 20, 2019 Wednesday 20:00
Gent, BE Vooruit & Bijloke Muziekcentrum
March 14, 2019 Thursday 19:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
March 13, 2019 Wednesday 19:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
March 12, 2019 Tuesday 19:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
March 10, 2019 Sunday 14:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
March 9, 2019 Saturday 19:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
March 8, 2019 Friday 19:30
Paris, FR Opéra de Paris
February 28, 2019 Thursday 20:00
Brugge, BE Concertgebouw
February 27, 2019 Wednesday 20:00
Brugge, BE Concertgebouw
January 9, 2019 Wednesday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
January 8, 2019 Tuesday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
January 7, 2019 Monday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
January 6, 2019 Sunday 15:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
January 5, 2019 Saturday 20:00
Brussels, BE De Munt / La Monnaie
October 13, 2018 Saturday 20:00
Lisbon, PT Culturgest
October 12, 2018 Friday 20:00
Lisbon, PT Culturgest
October 7, 2018 Sunday 15:00
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 6, 2018 Saturday 20:00
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 5, 2018 Friday 20:00
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 4, 2018 Thursday 19:30
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 3, 2018 Wednesday 19:30
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 2, 2018 Tuesday 12:30
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
October 1, 2018 Monday 19:30
New York, USA Park Avenue Armory
September 15, 2018 Saturday 20:00
Berlin, DE Volksbühne
September 14, 2018 Friday 20:00
Berlin, DE Volksbühne
September 13, 2018 Thursday 20:00
Berlin, DE Volksbühne
September 12, 2018 Wednesday 20:00
Berlin, DE Volksbühne