George Benjamin

Dance Figures George Benjamin

Premiered by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony in 2004, and choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker at La Monnaie, these nine orchestral miniatures marked a turning point in Benjamin's output. The intricate surfaces of works like Palimpsests and Sudden Time are replaced here with a more direct and immediate mode of expression better suited to the stage. In a similar way to the Boulez Notations, this 15-minute work is an elaboration (rather than a simple orchestration) of a number of piano pieces, from Piano Figures. Also included is Olicantus, Benjamin's touching 50th birthday tribute to his friend Oliver Knussen.