OVERVIEW

Petite Mort – small death – is a Frech expression that poetically refers to the moment of ultimate ecstasy and orgasm. The choreography brings together pleasure and transience, reminding us that it is precisely in moments of the most intense experience that we most strongly sense the fragility of human existence and the closeness of life and death.

“Since the time Mozart’s music was created, many wars were fought and much blood had to flow under the ‘Bridge of Time’. And it was mostly men swaying swords in show of their potency and power. Death (‘mort’) is always what accompanies our lives. Sometimes it is ‘petite’ (small), sometimes ‘grand’ (great), but it is the most faithful companion we have—from the dawn of our existence until its end,” choreographer Jiří Kylián explains.

The choreography comes from Kylián’s black-and-white period and is conceived in a very minimalist way in terms of both costumes and stage design. The leading role belongs to the dancers—specifically six men and six women—and also to six foils (light thrusting weapons used in modern fencing). These repeatedly appear throughout the choreography and embody symbols such as aggression, sexuality, energy, silence, fragility, and vulnerability.

Jiří Kylián created Petite Mort in 1991 for the Salzburger Festspiele festival on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death. The choreography is set to Mozart’s music—specifically the slow movements from two piano concertos: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major (K. 488) and Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major (K. 467).