...out of this world

This captivating fusion of music, dance and Schubert’s letters is dedicated to beauty.

• Franz Schubert (1797–1828): String Quartet No. 14 ‘Death and the Maiden’
• Enzio Bosso (1971–2020): String Quartet No. 5 ‘Music for a Lodger’

At the heart of this evening lies an epoch-making masterpiece: Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’. Here, however, Death does not appear as a terrifying figure, but in the guise of a woman. She embraces that which Schubert – and all of us – cannot ward off; and so, through dance, the music becomes a bittersweet and tender approach to an end that finds reconciliation in art. The fifth string quartet by the Italian musical star Ezio Bosso, who died aged just 49, conveys to the very end the message that the beauty of life should be understood as a source of strength.

What makes this ‘out-of-this-world’ evening so special is the fusion of this music with the most personal form of expression in dance. Giulia Tonelli, who grew up in Pisa, was prima ballerina at the Zurich Ballet and danced with the Royal Ballet and at La Scala; she became known to a wider audience through the film ‘Becoming Giulia’ (2022). Marc Jubete Bascompte has been a soloist with the Hamburg Ballet since 2016 and, as a choreographer, has created works for, amongst others, the Bundesjugendballett. Michele Pastorini, born in Sicily, was principal dancer at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka; his choreography combines powerful physicality, theatricality and a human-centred approach. The musical foundation is provided by a string quartet from CHAARTS – the internationally successful Swiss ensemble founded in 2010 at the Künstlerhaus Boswil.