It’s not usually the instinct of Sydney Dance Company (SDC) artistic director Rafael Bonachela to go small when choreographing. But occasionally you have to open yourself to a different approach. Such was the case when working alongside Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) for the first time in 15 years on the new concert Silence & Rapture.
The production pairs the soaring works of Johann Sebastian Bach with those of revered Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Bonachela says his arms got goosebumps while listening to British countertenor Iestyn Davies sing Robert Burns’ poem My Heart’s in the Highlands, as set to Pärt’s pared-back composition and accompanied by ACO’s principal cellist, Timo-Veikko “Tipi” Valve.
