This autumn brings a world première at Sadler's Wells of a production that focuses on Thomas Adès, who conducts the Britten Sinfonia and performs live on stage in his only London appearance in 2014.
A major event in the theatre’s forthcoming Autumn 2014 season, premièring from Thursday 30 October to Saturday 1 November, Thomas Adès: See The Music, Hear The Dance features some of Adès's most celebrated works set against four separate dance works from some of today’s most influential choreographers.
The second in Sadler’s Wells’ Composer Series, which sees contemporary composers as the focus of each production and which began in 2011 with Mark-Anthony Turnage, Wayne McGregor and Mark Wallinger’s UNDANCE, is comprised of four contemporary dance works, by Karole Armitage, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite and Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Alexander Whitley.
The evening includes two world premières, one by Crystal Pite, the other by emerging British artist Alexander Whitley.
Pite brings together six dancers from her company Kidd Pivot with a cast of 60 dance students from the London Contemporary Dance School and Central School of Ballet, accompanied by a 70-strong orchestra.
Alexander Whitley’s The Grit in the Oyster, exploring ideas of obsession and transformation, sets a trio of dancers against Adès playing his Piano Quintet ive.
Whitley is one of six emerging artists whom Sadler’s Wells currently supports as part of its extensive range of initiatives to nurture the next generation of dance talent.
The programme also includes Outlier, choreographed by Wayne McGregor to the violin concerto Concentric Paths. This European première is performed by 11 dancers from Belgium’s Royal Ballet Flanders, accompanied by violinist Thomas Gould.
Completing the evening, Karole Armitage presents a duet, Life Story, set to Adès’s song cycle based on words by Tennessee Williams. It is performed by two dancers from her New York-based Armitage Gone! Dance Company, and sung by British soprano Claire Booth wit Adès on piano.
Tickets for See The Music, Hear The Dance go on sale at 10AM on Monday 12 May 2014.