Pam Tanowitz’s ‘Pastoral’ brings Beethoven into a bright dance setting

Pam Tanowitz’s Pastoral has received its UK premiere at the Barbican in London. The production is a collaboration between the New York choreographer, composer Caroline Shaw and artist Sarah Crowner, and takes inspiration from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and the broader idea of the pastoral in art.

Shaw’s musical approach breaks apart and deconstructs Beethoven’s work rather than presenting it as a conventional symphonic performance. Three musicians play various reed instruments live, while excerpts from orchestral recordings appear alongside sounds associated with everyday surroundings, including the street, the skies and the city.

The production’s visual and choreographic setting is described as bright and clean, with extensive white space. Tanowitz’s movement is characterized as eccentric at times but also highly deliberate, with individual choices and angles carefully defined.

The review contrasts Pastoral with dance productions that use dark stages, theatrical haze, claustrophobic soundscapes and heavily textured movement. In this work, the combination of Shaw’s reconstruction of Beethoven, Crowner’s artistic contribution and Tanowitz’s choreography creates a setting presented as open and clear.