Saburo Teshigawara & Rihoko Sato Tristan and Isolde

Throughout a career that started over 40 years ago, Saburo Teshigawara has consistently produced work in a sustained dialogue with music. While the Japanese choreographer, director and dancer has often looked to contemporary composers, he regularly returns to classical repertoire, presenting works over pieces by Bach, Berlioz or Bartok, often alongside his longtime stage partner, the dancer Rihoko Sato. With Tristan et Isolde, hailed as a masterpiece since it premiered in 2016, the duo takes their work on the variations of the couple to new heights. The choreographer culled an hour’s worth of music from Wagner’s opera, shaping a sparse narrative arc pared down to the essence of the tragedy where (impossible) love and death are the defining moments. True to form, Teshigawara conceived the work in its entirety, from creating the costumes – whose sparseness and drape fluidity amplify the movements – to designing the lights. The outstanding work on darkness – bodies sneak through and stand out against the darkest blue or the purest white – showcases bouncy dance that is equally hard-edged, sensual and delicate. His minimal approach to Wagner’s opera proposes a uniquely intense interpretation. 

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