Duet with a pianist (2021)

Sonatas and Interludes (1946-1948) is highly recognized as one of John Cage’s distinct masterpieces; a hallmark of an era during which the composer was drawn particularly to eastern philosophy and to new sound sources. However, this piece also deeply reflects the influence on Cage’s oeuvre owed to his collaboration with several modern dance choreographers in late 30’s and 40’s. Indeed, Cage worked as a composer for pioneer African-American choreographers like Syvilla Fort and Pearl Primus, both of whom are rarely associated with his breakthrough in music composition and performance. Though it may not be widely known, Cage explored the sound effects and placements of different materials in the prepared piano while he was composing music for a new dance by Syvilla Fort, Bacchanale.

Lenio Kaklea takes her own approach to Cage’s emblematic work by focusing on this minor, ‘lost’ (or hardly cited) detail. By recalling the presence of those leading female dance figures, among other references drawn from cinema, jazz and musical of the modernist era, Kaklea proposes a new reading of herstory, an archival incision which gives a whole new perspective to her own work based on Cage’s score. At times playful, at others insinuating a more emotional –yet not expressionistic—approach to the score, her body becomes a way to explore the subtly colored musical structure of Sonatas and Interludes. The stage, thus, becomes a kaleidoscope to contemplate not only on the relation of the choreographic and musical score, but also a critical tool for the genealogies, feminine and embodied, that inform Kaklea’s work.

Duration: 1 hour