Schönheit ist Nebensache ou Beauty is Incidental

“Beauty is incidental” (Schönheit ist Nebensache in German) is one of the statements at the beginning of the 4th movement of the sonata for solo viola Op. 25 No. 1 by German composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) – a statement that could have been uttered by his compatriot and expressionist choreographer Dore Hoyer (1911-1967), author of the dance cycle Afectos Humanos (Human Affections), on which Pol Pi has been working for several years. Schönheit ist Nebensache or Beauty is Incidental is a dialogue between the works of Hindemith and Hoyer, each structured around five short solos as minimalistic as they are expressive, each composed by artists who have suffered the consequences of totalitarian governments. Through this poignant performance, which combines words with music and movement, Pol Pi links the biographies of the two artists to more general questions, such as the value of thought and art in these political regimes.