Emanuel Gat Freedom Sonata

With Freedom Sonata, Emanuel Gat delivers a loose and contemporary interpretation of the classical sonata form, pairing the kaleidoscopic compositions of Kanye West on his album The Life of Pablo (2016) with the danceable and syncopated quality of the second movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.32 in C Minor, op.111. It is the fourth time the choreographer has included in a piece this classical masterpiece whose transient second movement prefigure jazz and ragtime. Two centuries and a continent away, Kanye West’s songs are also driven by freedom and a boldness that propels this mix of r’n’b, gospel and hip-hop to stratospheric heights.

This soundtrack guides Emanuel Gat through a new chapter in his study of the way groups and the individuals they consist of operate and strive to find balance and fulfillment. Through the practice of choreography, Freedom Sonata – like all the choreographer’s pieces in the last thirty years – gauges the possibility of building a society based on principles of self-governance, voluntary collaboration and mutual support. Structured around three distinct movements, the piece utilizes the texture and dynamics specific to analog light, which not only gives shape to space and movement but also acts as a writing element, a counterpoint to the music and dance. 
 

Vincent Théval