Skip to Content

The Arts Intel Report

The Cello / Johann Sebastian Bach

A still from The Cello, choreographed by Jo Strømgren.

Jan 8 – Apr 3, 2025

With The Cello, the prominent Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren departs from his usual mordant storytelling to give primacy to the music—and well should he, it being Bach. The new hour-long chamber work translates to dance the experience of listening to classical music—specifically to the very Bach suites to which we are listening as we watch. Whether Strømgren succeeds at this dizzyingly meta plan, it suffices that the internationally renowned cellist Truls Mørk, another Norwegian, is playing the Bach for you, just feet away. As recorded on a major label, Mørk’s Bach suites prove delicate and spacious, rigorous and plangent. Programmed on January 8 and 17, February 11, and April 2 and 3. —Apollinaire Scherr

Photo courtesy of Jo Strømgren Kompani