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Since 1979

Musical Collaborator at Tanztheater Wuppertal (since 1995 together with Andreas Eisenschneider)

2022

dies in Wuppertal


Biography

Matthias Burkert

was born 1953 in Duisburg, and started piano lessons at the age of six. In 1974 he began studying piano, with trumpet and singing, at the Wuppertal campus of Cologne’s Hochschule für Musik und Tanz. Above all it was Professor Harald Bojé’s integrated approach to teaching piano which spoke to him. Matthias Burkert had a natural, uninhibited relationship to instruments; from an early age improvisation was his great passion, not just on the piano. His attitude to music was playful and experimental.

An all-round talent

He first saw a piece by Pina Bausch in 1975, in Wuppertal, her version of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Although Burkert had no affinity with ballet, the undiluted humanity of Pina Bausch’s contemporary dance language left a deep impression on him. After completing his degree, in 1978 he took up a lecturing post in piano teaching at his college. He had already become musical director of the children’s and youth theatre in Wuppertal in 1976, a position he retained till 2001. Alongside this he gave private piano lessons. Pina Bausch took him on in 1979, initially as the répétiteur for their daily training sessions. Soon, however, his role changed. Pina Bausch was in the process of redefining not only the thematic and choreographic aspects of dance but also its musical dimension and needed help researching music, with dramaturgical questions around music and with generating narrative arcs. This was still technically challenging at the time. Finding unusual music was also difficult. Burkert combed record shops in Wuppertal and beyond, contacted radio archives and private collectors. Sometimes up to four tape players were running simultaneously during performances to ensure rapid changeovers.

Trial and error

Burkert’s first collaboration with Pina Bausch was Bandoneon, in 1980. She had brought back a wealth of material from a South-American tour which needed sorting out. Where necessary Burkert also composed pieces of his own. The extensive tours and resulting coproductions changed the musical work. During research on location each time new musical horizons were opened up. The trick here was to allow the musical soul of a country to be heard without becoming folkloristic.

The dances and scenes were almost always created independently of the music, which was added later. Here, as with dance theatre generally, a persistent process of trial and error was required. Pina Bausch frequently asked Burkert to replace all the rehearsal music with completely new pieces. Some music stood the test, at other times a completely new perspective was generated.

Matthias Burkert was part of the rehearsal process from the start, collecting music, sorting it according to character and atmosphere or with particular dancers in mind. Pina Bausch repeatedly integrated him into her pieces, sometimes with musical appearances, and together with him she controlled the musical temperature of the shows as they unfolded.

In 1995 he was joined by Andreas Eisenschneider. They complement each other, an experienced team taking responsibility for the music. The pair were jointly credited for musical direction on Wim Wenders’ Film Pina.

Matthias Burkert dies in Wuppertal on 27 October 2022.

Text by Norbert Servos
Translated by Steph Morris


Gallery



Piece creation

Season 1980/81Bandoneon

Musical collaboration

Season 1981/82Walzer

Assistant

Season 1982/83Nelken (Carnations)

Collaboration

Season 1983/84Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the Mountain a Cry Was Heard)

Musical collaboration

Season 1984/85Two Cigarettes in the Dark

Collaboration

Season 1985/86Viktor

Collaboration

Season 1986/87Ahnen

Musical collaboration

Season 1989/90Palermo Palermo

Musical collaboration

Season 1990/91Tanzabend II

Musical collaboration

Season 1992/93Das Stück mit dem Schiff (The Piece with the Ship)

Musical collaboration

Season 1993/94Ein Trauerspiel

Musical collaboration

Season 1994/95Danzón

Musical collaboration

Season 1996/97Der Fensterputzer (The Window Washer)

Musical collaboration

Season 1997/98Masurca Fogo

Musical collaboration

Season 1998/99O Dido

Musical collaboration

Season 1999/2000Wiesenland

Musical collaboration

Season 2000/01Água

Musical collaboration

Season 2001/02For the Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Musical collaboration

Season 2002/03Nefés

Musical collaboration

Season 2004/05Rough Cut

Musical collaboration

Season 2005/06Vollmond (Full Moon)

Musical collaboration

Season 2006/07Bamboo Blues

Musical collaboration

Season 2007/08'Sweet Mambo'

Musical collaboration

Season 2008/09"... como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si ..." (Like Moss on the Stone)

Musical collaboration


Premieres

Season 1979/80

PieceKeuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity)
Date13 December 1979
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Anne Martin
Arthur Rosenfeld
Beatrice Libonati
Christian Trouillas
Dominique Mercy
Ed Kortlandt
Heide Tegeder
Héléna Pikon
Jan Minařík
Janusz Subicz
Jean Laurent Sasportes
Josephine Ann Endicott
Lutz Förster
Malou Airaudo
Meryl Tankard
Nazareth Panadero
Urs Kaufmann
Vivienne Newport
ActorHans Dieter Knebel
Mechthild Großmann
MusicianMatthias Burkert

piano

ExtraFrank Herfeld

crocodile

Frank Nettesheim

crocodile

Jürgen Koch

crocodile

Klaus Kostka

crocodile

Roman Rohde

crocodile

Ulrich Huppach

crocodile

Werner Simon

crocodile

Wolfgang Weiß

crocodile

StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Klaus Grimm
Ballet masterDominique Mercy
Jean Cébron
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
AssistantHans Dieter Knebel
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Keuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity)” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 13, 1979
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Season 1979/80

Piece1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch
Date18 May 1980
VenueSchauspielhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
Set design assistantGerda Raichle
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Anne Martin
Arthur Rosenfeld
Beatrice Libonati
Ed Kortlandt
Hans Dieter Knebel
Heide Tegeder
Isabel Ribas Serra
Jan Minařík
Janusz Subicz
Jean Laurent Sasportes
Josephine Ann Endicott
Lutz Förster
Malou Airaudo
Mechthild Großmann
Meryl Tankard
Nazareth Panadero
Vivienne Newport
MusicianArthur Sockel

violinist

Matthias Burkert

harmonium player

Special performerHans Günter Witt

wizard

StagehandHeinz Czyganowski
LightingSiegfried Schuchmann
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHelmut Schoth
Ballet masterDominique Mercy
Jean Cébron
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerPeter Lütke
PropsGerd Klann
Sportler:inMax Walther

gymnast

Source of castEvening leaflet for “1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch” by Pina Bausch with Tanztheater Wuppertal in in Wuppertal, May 18, 1980
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Season 1981/82

PieceWalzer
Date17 June 1982
VenueKoninklijk Theater Carré Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Costume assistantBernd Bremer
Rosemarie Hess
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Arthur Rosenfeld
Beatrice Libonati
Bénédicte Billiet
Christian Trouillas
Ed Kortlandt
Francis Viet
Hans Pop
Héléna Pikon
Jakob Haahr Andersen
Jan Minařík
Janusz Subicz
Jean Laurent Sasportes
Josephine Ann Endicott
Malou Airaudo
Meryl Tankard
Monika Sagon
Nazareth Panadero
Urs Kaufmann
Vitus Zeplichal
ActorMechthild Großmann
MusicianMatthias Burkert

piano

StagehandHeinz Czyganowski
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
SoundHartmut Millard
Helmut Schoth
Ballet masterDominique Mercy
Jean Cébron
Stage managerPeter Lütke
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Walzer” by Pina Bausch in in Amsterdam, 06/17/1982 – 06/20/1982
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Season 1982/83

Season 1983/84

Season 1986/87

Season 1989/90

Season 1992/93

PieceDas Stück mit dem Schiff (The Piece with the Ship)
Date16 January 1993
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
Set design assistantHelga Schnüttgen
DanceAida Vainieri
Barbara Kaufmann
Beatrice Libonati
Bernd Uwe Marszan
Dominique Mercy
Felix Ruckert
Francis Viet
Geraldo Si Loureiro
Hans Beenhakker
Héléna Pikon
Jakob Haahr Andersen
Jan Minařík
Janusz Subicz
Jean Laurent Sasportes
Julie Anne Stanzak
Julie Shanahan
Marigia Maggipinto
Mariko Aoyama
Nazareth Panadero
Quincella Swyningan
Ruth Amarante
Thomas Duchatelet
MusicianMatthias Burkert
LightingKlaus Weiz
Make-upFrank Pohler
SoundFrank Strätker
Klaus Grimm
ManagementMatthias Schmiegelt
Organizational staffClaudia Irman
Ballet masterAgnes Pallai
Brian Bertscher
Christine Kono-Pohlmann
Technical directionDieter Simon
Klaus Weiz
Manfred Marczewski
Leitung BühnentechnikManfred Marczewski
Peter Ernestus
Lighting directionSiegfried Schuchmann
Leitung KostümEvelyn Schönwald
Leitung RequisiteHerbert Kuhn
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerJürgen Schneidenbach
CloakroomAndreas Maier
Harald Boll
Rosemarie Hess
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Das Stück mit dem Schiff (The Piece with the Ship)” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Jan. 16, 1993
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives


From the Pina Bausch archives
Matthias Burkert

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