Pierrot lunaire

Pierrot lunaire, a choreography for eight dancers, was created in 2010 for the Ballet Scapino in Rotterdam. Goecke based his work on the poetic figure from Commedia dell’Arte, Pierrot, the sad clown-like dreamer with a broken heart, devastated when his love for Colombine is unrequited. Pierrot lunaire is a faithful adaptation of one of the choreographer’s favourite pieces, the lyrical melodrama for five instruments and voice by Austrian avant-garde composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), based on the cycle of 21 poems by Albert Giraud (1884) and translated into German by Otto Erich Hartleben. This revolutionary work is known for its use of sprechgesang, or “speech-song.” Long considered scandalous, Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire had an immense influence on 20th century music