A choreography that pays tribute to a harpsichordist who was known for her charisma and vicious performances. It might sound a bit far-fetched when you write it down like that, but just go and see ELISABETH GETS HER WAY and prepare to be amazed. Flemish choreographer Jan Martens succeeds in paying homage to his idol Elisabeth Chojnacka, a Polish harpsichordist who pioneered the revival of harpsichord music in the twentieth century.
Chojnacka was a trail blazer. In the 1960s, in addition to the age-old pieces that have always remained in her repertoire, she began to play the odd contemporary works for harpsichord on a more regular basis. Partly due to her talent and perseverance, in the 1970s and 1980s a large number of composers (Ligeti, Xenakis, Ferrari, Berio, Halffter, etc.) wrote new works for the harpsichord, often dedicated to Chojnacka.
Jan Martens has been an admirer of Chojnacka his whole life: in her work he recognizes the pursuit to unite radicality and audience-friendly work. He translates his fandom to a beautiful and accessible solo in ELISABETH GETS HER WAY, with music from Chojnacka and compositions by Nyman, Montague and Ligeti.
Jan tells more about Chojnacka in an interview we had with him. 'In two years, I won't be able to do this performance.' Read more here.
| Choreography & dance | Jan Martens |
| Sound design documentary | Yanna Soentjes |
| Lighting design | Elke Verachtert |
| Costume design | Cédric Charlier |
| Photographer | Luis Xertu |
| Video montage | Sabine Groenewegen |
| Outside eye | Marc Vanrunxt, Anne-Lise Brevers, Rudi Meulemans |
| Technical leads | Michel Spang, Elke Verachtert |
| Production | GRIP |
| Co-producers | De Singel, Les Hivernales, Julidans, C-TAKT, Perpodium |
| With financial support of | de Vlaamse overheid, de Taxshelter van de Belgische Federale Overheid, Cronos Invest |
| Thanks to | l'Institut National de l'Audiovisuel, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo sous la Présidence de S.A.R. la Princesse de Hanovre |
Korzo Zaal