Dance Figures

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.