DnA - six images of love

DnA – six images of love explores love and eroticism in their different guises through six intense atmospheric tableaus. Based on poetry by E. E. Cummings, Christian Jost illustrates diverse elements of love: devotion and rejection, submission and dominance. The title DnA is on the one hand a reference to Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and on the other hand a play on words indicating the exploration of the DNA of love. Baroque song and modern dance are juxtaposed in Jost’s disturbing, pulsating stage music. The work culminates with Dido’s famous Lamento aria ‘When I am laid in Earth’ for which Jost composed a new arrangement blending ancient music and lascivious cool jazz featuring vibraphone, electric bass and flugelhorn. ‘I could in fact term DnA as a song cycle in which two singers reveal their individual views of their relationship in poetic scenes. This intimate structure makes the work highly suitable for a choreographic performance.’ (Christian Jost) Jost’s music for his dance theatre work Lover is also a meeting of diverse eras and cultures. The encounter of western polyphony and traditional Asian gongs and drums creates a captivating cultural dialogue between East and West.