The UK premiere of 'Pastoral', a new work by New York choreographer Pam Tanowitz, has opened at the Barbican in London. This production is a collaboration with Pulitzer prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw and artist Sarah Crowner.
Inspired by Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and the broader idea of the pastoral in art, the piece features Shaw deconstructing Beethoven's work. This includes three live musicians playing reed instruments, orchestral recording excerpts, and real-world sounds.
The stage design by Sarah Crowner includes a floor-to-ceiling curtain and a large canvas with pale pink and deep green sections, creating distinct spaces on an otherwise white stage. Reid Bartelme's costumes for the dancers are ombre chiffon, featuring a spectrum of colours from coral-pink-red-lilac-chartreuse.
The production is characterised by its bright, clean aesthetic, contrasting with trends for darker stages and theatrical haze. Tanowitz's choreography is described as specific and deliberate, with flashes of wit and eccentricity, while the score and stage maintain a refreshing sparseness.