Cluster ensemble celebrates 10th anniversary with new Steve Reich project
The new music-dance-light performance PATTERNS will be presented at Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, in Bratislava's A4 and at the Opera Nova 2019 festival in Prague's National theatre.
In mid-June, 10 years have passed since Cluster ensemble's first concert. We celebrate our tenth birthday with a series of performances called PATTERNS, combining the music of the American composer Steve Reich with dance and light. The new project will be presented in the Czech National Theater, Žilina and Bratislava.
We played our first concert on June 15, 2009 in MadaMusic, a small music shop in the center of Bratislava. The concert has become a legend since. As students of the Academy of Performing Arts under the guidance of Ivan Šiller, we decided to fulfill our dream to perform the iconic piece Six Pianos by American composer Steve Reich – and could not get six acoustic pianos needed to perform the piece anywhere else.
The new programme PATTERNS is a symbolic return to our roots through Steve Reich, as well as a move forward, in experiments that are characteristic of our work.
It is a music-dance-light performance consisting of rarely played compositions by Steve Reich Four Organs, Phase Patterns and his cult piece Music for Pieces of Wood – three strongly contrasting compositions from the period in which Reich experimented extensively and explored new possibilities for acoustic and electronic instruments.
The dance / light components of the project are a minimalist interpretation of Reich's musical structures. Based on the interaction of dancers, lights and music, the common denominator is rhythm, but also accents and pulsations.
We collaborate on this new project with choreographer Petra Fornayová and two young performers – Soňa Ferienčíková and Michal Heriban. The light concept was prepared by one of Cluster's artistic directors Fero Király.
The project will be presented with one dancer at the preview in Žilina. Both dancers will dance at the Bratislava preview in A4 – Space for Contemporary Culture and at the official premiere in Prague. The premiere will take place at the Opera Nova 2019 festival at the New Stage of the National Theater on June 24th.
A small celebration of Cluster's 10th birthday will be a part of the concert in Bratislava.
This project was supported using public funds by Slovak Arts Council as main partner. The project is organized with financial support by the Bratislava Self-governing Region. With support by SOZA.
PATTERNS – 2019 dates:
1. Preview: June 17, 2019 – Žilina, Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, FB event
2. Preview: June 19, 2019 – Bratislava, A4 – Space for Contemporary Culture, FB event
Premiere: June 24, 2019 – Praha, The New Stage, Czech National Theatre, Festival Opera Nova 2019, FB event