CHOREOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS OF ARVO PÄRT’S SOUND SPACE ARCHITECTONICS IN CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON’S BALLETS

Abstract

This article is devoted to contemplation of the architectonic features of the space of the Pärt’s music, in particular symmetry, in the ballets of Christopher Wheeldon and their embodiment in the multilevel structure of the play. The well-known expression of Aimert, addressed to the music of Anton Webern, ‘lyric geometry’ is also relevant for the work of Arvo Pärt, which is also based on mathematical proportions, geometric proportionality and numerical harmony. In the plastic interpretations of Pärt’s music, choreographers often turn to the idea of ‘lyric geometry’, projecting the symmetry of the musical material into a choreographic text. In this article, Christopher Wheeldon’s three ballets are analyzed: Liturgy, After the Rain and Misericordes, primarily from the point of view of the choreographer’s work with musical structures. Christopher Wheeldon, continuing the tradition of ballet, laid by George Balanchine, like his predecessor, relates the structural and choreographic language to the composition of the music. The principle of geometric mastering of the performance space in its structural correlation with the music of Arvo Pärt transforms Wheeldon’s ballets into a visual embodiment of the musical text.