Hanover Stuff

This was a great dance show with live chamber music, an added bonus.

The first piece was The Argument with a piano and cello music by Schumann.  The second was the Wooden Tree with some very interesting music by Ivor Cutler.  As Mark Morris explained in the Q&A after the performance, Ivor Cutler was a Scottish musician and radio celebrity.  These were quirky songs delivered by Cutler in a rich voice, recording though this time.  Some were accompanied on organ, some spoken, but all strange, unexpectedly funny.  The dance captured this very effectively.

The last piece was the Festival Dance with a string trio playing Hummel.  This was a composer I had never heard of, but it was a beautiful piece, and the dance really captured the music.  So often I see modern dance, and it doesn’t capture the music, or seems unrelated.  In this case, the rhythm and the cheerful tone of the music was perfectly matched.

After the performance, Mark Morris came out, and immediately took charge of the question from the audience.  To the question “Why live musicians?” which I assume he often hears, he said because it is so difficult with the dead musicians, plus shipping them is so expensive.  He enjoys music, listens to lots of music of all types, and wants to make the music an integral part of his show.

Mark Morris Dance Group website

Mark Morris Dance Group Program Notes