ECHO OF SUMMER: The Goldberg Variations

The collaboration between harpsichordist Eva Dolinšek and choreographer-dancer Anja Mejač meets this time in the timeless space of the Goldberg Variations – BWV 988. This is a multilayered work by Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach, composed of an aria and 30 variations that follow it. Each variation is based on the aria.

To play the score is to forget a part of oneself. For the harpsichordist, the Goldberg Variations represent a life cycle—beginning and ending with the same thought. It raises the question of repetition, of variation within repetition, of the continual return of the same, and of the transformation of the performer through this repetition. It also poses the question of error and (end)urance.

To dance Goldberg is to dance the music, and for a flamenco dancer—whose steps are heard—it is also to know the music intimately. The choreographic material arises from the study of the musical score. The choreographer translates the left-hand line into sound-spatial compositions, weaving them into the flow of improvisation in dance. How can one truly know such a complex composition? By taking it and making it one's own.

Musically, this is a demanding solo piece; likewise, in the world of choreography, dancing Goldberg has already acquired a distinctive status. The two performers thus create a conversation in polyphony—between different eras, styles, times, and spaces. Perhaps baroque and flamenco have much in common. Both are wrapped in a veil of grandeur and deep sorrow.

Choreography, dance: Anja Mejač
Harpsichord: Eva Dolinšek

Costume design: Nina Čehovin
Photography: Nina Pernat
Video: Črt Potočnik

Production: Skladišče 172
Co-organization/co-production: Staroljubljanski zavod za kulturo, DUM – Society of Artists
The dance concert is financially supported by: City Municipality of Ljubljana, Sava Insurance, S-5 Investments