A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Park Avenue Armory strives to engage audiences with eclectic, immersive, and thought-provoking works that are in direct dialogue with the vast sweep of the Armory’s unique spaces, whether it is the soaring Wade Thompson Drill Hall or the intimate period rooms. And with its pristine acoustic and austere elegance, the Board of Officers Room is like no other in offering the chance to enjoy the art of the recital and music-making in the most personal of settings. The 2017 season marks the fifth year for the recital series, which continues to showcase both classical and contemporary repertoire performed by world class artists at the height of their craft. We are thrilled to introduce to the U.S. an international star in the making – Sabine Devieihle. One of the most talented French sopranos to emerge in recent years, she makes her North American recital debut at the Armory, after dazzling audiences at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Dutch National Opera, and other opera houses throughout Europe. Barbara Hannigan, one of the world’s leading performers of contemporary opera, makes her U.S. recital debut with programs that showcase her extraordinary versatility, with an exploration of the Second Viennese School as well as the work of iconic French composer Erik Satie. Paired with our ongoing partnership with the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, the series will be featuring exciting new voices not seen elsewhere in New York. We continue to explore new directions with the acclaimed Wu Man and the esteemed Shanghai Quartet, who together perform new works by contemporary Chinese composers. And by using both the Board of Officers and Veterans Rooms for one recital, we are invited to enjoy the vocal artistry and multiple facets of musicianship of tenor Lawrence Brownlee in a progressive concert that presents his classical repertoire from lieder and opera to jazz songs and American spirituals, teaming up for the second part with pianist Jason Moran. In a program of works by Copland, Berlioz, Schuman, and Poulenc, we are thrilled to welcome for the first time to the Armory, the distinguished British mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly. Finally, the electrifying violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, one of the most dynamic and original classical music soloists in the world, works with cellist Jay Campbell in a program of duets. This year’s lineup offers audiences even more chances to enjoy the intimacy of a beautiful range of chamber music experiences performed by artists with a highly distinctive international profile. I hope you will join in my excitement for witnessing these magical moments in music. Pierre Audi Artistic Director
2017 RECITAL SERIES IN THE RESTORED BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM
wednesday, march 15 at 7:30pm friday, march 17 at 8:00pm
SARAH CONNOLLY, mezzo-soprano JOSEPH MIDDLETON, piano
The Recital Series is supported in part by The Reed Foundation. The Recital Series is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Altman Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Achelis and Bodman Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, The Kaplen Brothers Fund, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation.
SEASON SPONSORS
PROGRAM ROBERT SCHUMANN Frauenliebe und–leben, Op.42 Seit ich ihn gesehen Er, der Herrlichste von Allen Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben Du Ring an meinem Finger Helft mir, ihr Schwestern Süsser Freund, du blickest mich verwundert an An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan BERLIOZ Les nuits d'été, Op.7 Villanelle Le Spectre de la rose Sur les langunes Absence Au cimetière L'lle inconnue Intermission POULENC Banalités, FP 107 Par les portes d’Orkenise Hôtel Fagnes de Wallonie Voyage à Paris Sanglots COPLAND Selection from the Emily Dickinson Songs Nature, the gentlest mother There came a wind like a bugle The world feels dusty I’ve heard an organ Going to Heaven! The Chariot RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT A History of the Thé Dansant
This performance is approximately one hour and forty five minutes in length, performed with intermission.
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ABOUT THE PROGRAM Frauenliebe und–leben (“A Woman’s Love and Life”), Op. 42 (1840) by Robert Schumann (Zwickau, Saxony, 1810 – Endenich, nr. Bonn, 1856) A Woman’s Life and Love was created by two men—Adelbert von Chamisso and Robert Schumann. While the picture of the woman who only lives through her man may not necessarily agree with modern-time feminist sensibilities, we shouldn’t forget that earlier song cycles such as Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte or Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin were no different in that the existences of their male protagonists also revolved entirely around their idealized female loves. The poems encompass a woman’s entire life experience from meeting and falling in love, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, ending with the sudden and inexplicable tragedy of her husband’s death. Schumann’s melodic and harmonic imagination was never greater than when he encountered Chamisso’s poetry. The bold leap on “tiefstem Dunkel” in the first song, the pulsating accompaniment of the second, or the expressive tempo changes in the third, alternating between extreme passion and moments of reflection, are only a few of many masterstrokes. In the sixth song Schumann quotes from An die ferne Geliebte, a work that held particular importance for him and his fiancée Clara Wieck. Many of the songs end with pensive piano postludes, making the singer (and the listener) take a step back and reflect on what has just been said. At the end of the cycle, the postlude is expanded to a self-contained piano piece, repeating the melody of the first song. As the heroine’s life has been shattered by the death of the man she loved, she retreats to her memories in a realm that is manifestly beyond words. Les nuits d’été (1840-41) by Hector Berlioz (La Côte-Saint-André, France, 1803 – Paris, 1869) Les nuits d´été was written at exactly the same time as Frauenliebe und-leben, allowing us to compare German and French Romanticism directly. While the poetry of Théophile Gautier also frequently explores tragic feelings, it can also be playful and witty, as in the first and last songs of Berlioz’s cycle. (The book from which the poems were taken was entitled La Comédie de la Mort, or “The Comedy of Death.”) Between the lightheartedness of the first song and the irony of the ending, four songs of death or absence explore dark moods, with exquisitely crafted melodic lines and delicious harmonic progressions.
Banalités (1940) by Francis Poulenc (Paris, 1899 – Paris, 1963) Guillaume Apollinaire, a leading light of 20th-century avantgarde poetry, was at the center of Francis Poulenc’s artistic universe. As a young man, Poulenc had met Apollinaire personally; over the years, he set more than forty of his poems to music, as well as the opera Les mamelles de Tirésias (“The Breasts of Tiresias”), based on a play by Apollinaire. In the present set of five songs, we shall hear, in turn, a sophisticated folksong imitation, an essay in decadent languor, a scherzo filled with delicious, untranslatable puns, and an ironic miniature waltz. In the last song, the longest of the set, individual suffering receives a cosmic dimension as it embodies universal suffering “until the end of time.” Selection of Poems by Emily Dickinson (1950) by Aaron Copland (Brooklyn, 1900 – North Tarrytown, NY, 1990) Many qualities of Emily Dickinson’s poetry—her ability to perceive the universal and the sublime in the most trivial everyday occurrences, her combination of philosophical depth and childlike naïveté, her sophisticated intellect and the liberties she often took with poetic technique—literally cried out for musical treatment, but few composers were able to do justice to her unique poetic voice. Copland’s twelve songs are among the greatest of all musical responses to Dickinson’s poetry. (Eight of them also exist in orchestrated versions.) In these poems, sublime ecstasy exists side by side with downto-earth, everyday motifs. A humble flower can stand for the entirety of Nature; friends can save friends a spot in Heaven; and Death can be a friendly carriage-driver. Copland’s music, seemingly simple but in reality extremely sophisticated, proves to be the perfect vehicle to capture this duality which is such a central feature of Dickinson’s poetry. A History of the Thé Dansant (1994) by Richard Rodney Bennett (Broadstairs, England, 1936 – New York, 2012) Richard Rodney Bennett was that rare thing: a student of Pierre Boulez who composed symphonies, film scores, and jazz songs with equal ease; a pianist and singer from England who has been called “one of the finest and most knowledgeable of all exponents of the Great American Songbook”; a prolific and versatile musician in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. A History of the Thé Dansant is based on three poems by M. R. Peacocke, the composer’s sister. The three songs evoke the atmosphere of a ball room in the afternoon through catchy rhythms and complex chromatic harmonies; the music is urbane, delicate, and sensual. —Peter Laki
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly studied piano and singing at the Royal College of Music, of which she is now a Fellow. She was made CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours List. In 2011 she was honored by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and presented with the Distinguished Musician Award. She is the recipient of the the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2012 Singer Award. Highlights in Ms. Connolly’s 2016-2017 season include Countess Geschwitz in Lulu (English National Opera) and Gertrude in the world premiere of Brett Dean's Hamlet (Glyndebourne Festival). On the concert platform she performs Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius (Berliner Staatskapelle/Barenboim), Fricka in Das Rheingold (Boston Symphony Orchestra/Nelsons), Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (Hamburg Symphoniker/Tate), Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (LPO/ Jurowski), and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Haitink). She will give the opening recital of Wigmore Hall's 2016-2017 season with Malcolm Martineau, as well as recitals in Madrid and Amsterdam with Julius Drake, in Schwarzenberg with Graham Johnson, and in Atlanta and San Francisco with Joseph Middleton. The future sees her return to the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, the Gran Teatro del Liceu, the Paris Opera, and to the Glyndebourne Festival, and make major debuts at the Teatro Réal in Madrid and at the Vienna State Opera. A prolific recording artist, her many discs include Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (OAE); Des Knaben Wunderhorn (L’Orchestre des Champs-Élysées/Herreweghe); Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde (LPO/Jurowski), Elgar’s Sea Pictures and The Dream of Gerontius (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis); Britten's Phaedra (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Gardner); and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and Haydn’s Scena di Berenice (Gabrieli Consort/McCreesh). She has recorded the soundtrack, Fragments of a Prayer by Sir John Tavener, for the feature film Children of Men.
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Joseph Middleton specializes in the art of song accompaniment and chamber music and has been highly acclaimed within this field. He performs and records with many of the world’s finest singers in major music centers across Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. Mr. Middleton is Director of Leeds Lieder, a Professor at his alma mater the Royal Academy of Music, and holds the position of Musician in Residence at Pembroke College Cambridge, where he curates an imaginative song recital series as well as directs the University’s Lieder Scheme. His critically acclaimed discography includes Fleurs with Carolyn Sampson for BIS Records (nominated for a Gramophone Award & Radio France’s Disc of the Month); and, for Champs Hill Records: Nocturnal Variations with Ruby Hughes, Elgar in Sussex with Dame Felicity Lott, Tell Me the Truth about Love with Amanda Roocroft, This Other Eden with Kitty Whately, the lieder of Ludwig Thuille with Sophie Bevan and Jennifer Johnston, and the complete Purcell/ Britten realizations with Ruby Hughes, Allan Clayton, and Matthew Rose. The Myrthen Ensemble’s début disc—Songs to the Moon—was recently released on Signum Records. Mr. Middleton has a special relationship with the BBC through his work with their New Generation Artists Scheme and as such has made numerous live broadcasts of solo, chamber, and song repertoire for BBC Radio 3, including frequently being invited to curate his own weeklong series of lunchtime concerts. Born in Gloucestershire, Mr. Middleton graduated with an MPhil from the University of Birmingham, studied piano on an EMI Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music and went on to win the accompanist prizes at the Wigmore Hall International Song, Kathleen Ferrier, Richard Tauber, Royal Over-Seas League, and Geoffrey Parsons Awards.
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TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS ROBERT SCHUMANN Frauenliebe und-leben Op.42 Text by Adelbert von Chamisso
A woman’s love and life Translation by Daniel Platt
Seit ich ihn gesehen
Since I Saw Him
Seit ich ihn gesehen, Glaub ich blind zu sein; Wo ich hin nur blicke, Seh ich ihn allein; Wie im wachen Traume Schwebt sein Bild mir vor, Taucht aus tiefstem Dunkel, Heller nur empor.
Since I saw him I believe myself to be blind, where I but cast my gaze, I see him alone. as in waking dreams his image floats before me, dipped from deepest darkness, brighter in ascent.
Sonst ist licht- und farblos Alles um mich her, Nach der Schwestern Spiele Nicht begehr ich mehr, Möchte lieber weinen, Still im Kämmerlein; Seit ich ihn gesehen, Glaub ich blind zu sein.
All else dark and colorless everywhere around me, for the games of my sisters I no longer yearn, I would rather weep, silently in my little chamber, since I saw him, I believe myself to be blind.
Er, der Herrlichste von Allen
He, the most glorious of all
Er, der Herrlichste von allen, Wie so milde, wie so gut! Holde Lippen, klares Auge, Heller Sinn und fester Mut.
He, the most glorious of all, O how mild, so good! Lovely lips, clear eyes, bright mind and steadfast courage.
So wie dort in blauer Tiefe, Hell und herrlich, jener Stern, Also er an meinem Himmel, Hell und herrlich, hehr und fern.
Just as yonder in the blue depths, bright and glorious, that star, so he is in my heavens, bright and glorious, lofty and distant.
Wandle, wandle deine Bahnen, Nur betrachten deinen Schein, Nur in Demut ihn betrachten, Selig nur und traurig sein!
Walk, walk on your path, but to observe thy gleam, but to observe in meekness, but to be blissful and sad!
Höre nicht mein stilles Beten, Deinem Glücke nur geweiht; Darfst mich niedre Magd nicht kennen, Hoher Stern der Herrlichkeit!
Hear not my silent prayer, consecrated only to your happiness, you may not know me, lowly maid, lofty star of glory!
Nur die Würdigste von allen Darf beglücken deine Wahl, Und ich will die Hohe segnen, Segnen viele tausendmal.
Only the worthiest of all may make happy your choice, and I will bless her, the lofty one, many thousand times.
Will mich freuen dann und weinen, Selig, selig bin ich dann; Sollte mir das Herz auch brechen, Brich, o Herz, was liegt daran?
I will rejoice then and weep, blissful, blissful I'll be then; if my heart should also break, break, O heart, what of it? Please turn the page quietly.
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Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben
I can’t grasp it, nor believe it
Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben, Es hat ein Traum mich berückt; Wie hätt er doch unter allen Mich Arme erhöht und beglückt?
I can't grasp it, nor believe it, a dream has bewitched me, how should he, among all the others, lift up and make happy poor me?
Mir war's, er habe gesprochen: "Ich bin auf ewig dein," Mir war's - ich träume noch immer, Es kann ja nimmer so sein.
It seemed to me, as if he spoke, "I am yours eternally", It seemed - I dream on and on, It could never be so.
O laß im Traume mich sterben, Gewieget an seiner Brust, Den seligsten Tod mich schlürfen In Tränen unendlicher Lust.
O let me die in this dream, cradled on his breast, let the most blessed death drink me up in tears of infinite bliss.
Du Ring an meinem Finger
You ring on my finger
Du Ring an meinem Finger, Mein goldenes Ringelein, Ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen, Dich fromm an das Herze mein.
You ring on my finger, my little golden ring, I press you piously upon my lips piously upon my heart.
Ich hatt ihn ausgeträumet, Der Kindheit friedlich schönen Traum, Ich fand allein mich, verloren Im öden, unendlichen Raum.
I had dreamt it, the tranquil, lovely dream of childhood, I found myself along and lost in barren, infinite space.
Du Ring an meinem Finger Da hast du mich erst belehrt, Hast meinem Blick erschlossen Des Lebens unendlichen, tiefen Wert.
You ring on my finger, You have taught me for the first time, has opened my gaze unto the endless, deep value of life.
Ich will ihm dienen, ihm leben, Ihm angehören ganz, Hin selber mich geben und finden Verklärt mich in seinem Glanz.
I want to serve him, live for him, belong to him entire, Give myself and find myself transfigured in his radiance.
Du Ring an meinem Finger, Mein goldenes Ringelein, Ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen Dich fromm an das Herze mein.
You ring on my finger, my little golden ring, I press you piously upon lips, piously upon my heart.
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Helft mir, ihr Schwestern
Help me, sisters
Helft mir, ihr Schwestern, Freundlich mich schmücken, Dient der Glücklichen heute mir, Windet geschäftig Mir um die Stirne Noch der blühenden Myrte Zier.
Help me, sisters, friendly, adorn me, serve me, today's fortunate one, busily wind about my brow the adornment of blooming myrtle.
Als ich befriedigt, Freudigen Herzens, Sonst dem Geliebten im Arme lag, Immer noch rief er, Sehnsucht im Herzen, Ungeduldig den heutigen Tag.
Otherwise, gratified, of joyful heart, I would have lain in the arms of the beloved, so he called ever out, yearning in his heart, impatient for the present day.
Helft mir, ihr Schwestern, Helft mir verscheuchen Eine törichte Bangigkeit, Dass ich mit klarem Aug ihn empfange, Ihn, die Quelle der Freudigkeit.
Help me, sisters, help me to banish a foolish anxiety, so that I may with clear eyes receive him, him, the source of joyfulness.
Bist, mein Geliebter, Du mir erschienen, Giebst du mir, Sonne, deinen Schein? Lass mich in Andacht, Lass mich in Demut, Lass mich verneigen dem Herren mein.
Do I see you, beloved, or is it you, sun, shining on me? Let me with devotion, let me in meekness, let me curtsy before my lord.
Streuet ihm, Schwestern, Streuet ihm Blumen, Bringet ihm knospende Rosen dar, Aber euch, Schwestern, Grüss’ ich mit Wehmut Freudig scheidend aus eurer Schar.
Strew him, sisters, strew him with flowers, bring him budding roses, but you, sisters, I greet with melancholy, joyfully departing from your midst.
Please turn the page quietly.
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Süsser Freund, du blickest mich verwundert an
Sweet Friend, you gaze upon me in wonderment
Süsser Freund, du blickest Mich verwundert an, Kannst es nicht begreifen, Wie ich weinen kann; Lass der feuchten Perlen Ungewohnte Zier Freudig hell erzittern In dem Auge mir.
Sweet friend, you gaze upon me in wonderment, you cannot grasp it, why I can weep; Let the moist pearls' unaccustomed adornment tremble, joyful-bright, in my eyes.
Wie so bang mein Busen, Wie so wonnevoll! Wüsst’ ich nur mit Worten, Wie ich's sagen soll; Komm und birg dein Antlitz Hier an meiner Brust, Will in's Ohr dir flüstern Alle meine Lust.
How anxious my bosom, how rapturous! If I only knew, with words, how I should say it; come and bury thy visage here in my breast, I want to whisper in thy ear all my happiness.
Weisst du nun die Tränen, Die ich weinen kann? Sollst du nicht sie sehen, Du geliebter Mann? Bleib an meinem Herzen, Fühle dessen Schlag, Dass ich fest und fester Nur dich drücken mag.
Do you know the tears, that I can weep? Should you not see them, thou beloved man? Stay by my heart, feel its beat, that I may, fast and faster, hold you.
Hier an meinem Bette Hat die Wiege Raum, Wo sie still verberge Meinen holden Traum; Kommen wird der Morgen, Wo der Traum erwacht, Und daraus dein Bildnis Mir entgegen lacht.
Here, at my bed, the cradle shall have room, where it silently conceals my lovely dream; the morning will come where the dream awakes, and from there your image shall smile at me.
An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust
At my heart, at my breast
An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust, Du meine Wonne, du meine Lust! Das Glück ist die Liebe, die Lieb ist das Glück, Ich hab's gesagt und nehm's nicht zurück.
At my heart, at my breast, you my rapture, my happiness! The joy is the love, the love is the joy, I have said it, and won't take it back.
Hab überschwenglich mich geschätzt, Bin überglücklich aber jetzt. Nur die da säugt, nur die da liebt Das Kind, dem sie die Nahrung giebt; Nur eine Mutter weiss allein, Was lieben heisst und glücklich sein.
I've thought myself rapturous, but now I'm happy beyond that. Only she that suckles, only she that loves the child, to whom she gives nourishment; Only a mother knows alone that it is to love and be happy.
O, wie bedaur' ich doch den Mann, Der Mutterglück nicht fühlen kann! Du lieber, lieber Engel, du Du schauest mich an und lächelst dazu!
O how I pity then the man who cannot feel a mother's joy! You dear, dear angel you, you look at me and smile!
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Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan
Now you have given me, for the first time, pain
Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan, Der aber traf. Du schläfst, du harter, unbarmherz'ger Mann, Den Todesschlaf.
Now you have given me, for the first time, pain, how it struck me. You sleep, you hard, merciless man, the sleep of death.
Es blicket die Verlass’ne vor sich hin, Die Welt is leer. Geliebet hab ich und gelebt, ich bin Nicht lebend mehr.
The abandoned one gazes straight ahead, the world is void. I have loved and lived, I am no longer living.
Ich zieh mich in mein Innres still zurück, Der Schleier fällt, Da hab ich dich und mein verlornes Glück, Du meine Welt!
I withdraw silently into myself, the veil falls, there I have you and my lost happiness, O you my world! Translation from lieder.net. Reprinted by kind permission.
BERLIOZ Les nuits d'été, Op.7 Text by Guillaume Apollinaire
Summer Nights Translation by Anonymous
Villanelle
Country Song
Quand viendra la saison nouvelle, Quand auront disparu les froids, Tous les deux nous irons, ma belle, Pour cueillir le muguet au bois. Sous nos pieds égrenant les perles Que l’on voit au matin trembler, Nous irons écouter les merles Siffler.
When the new season comes, When the frosts have disappeared, The two of us will go, my lovely one, To pick lilies-of-the-valley in the woods; Unstringing under our feet the pearls of dew That one sees trembling in the morning, We shall go to listen to the blackbirds Singing.
Le printemps est venu, ma belle, C’est le mois des amants béni; Et l’oiseau, satinant son aile, Dit des vers au rebord du nid. Oh! Viens donc sur ce banc de mousse Pour parler de nos beaux amours, Et dis-moi de ta voix si douce: Toujours!
Spring has come, my lovely one, It is the blessed month of lovers, And the bird, preening its wing, Chants poems at the edge of its nest. Oh! Come then to this mossy bank To talk of our tender love, And say to me in your so gentle voice: Forever!
Loin, bien loin égarant nos courses Faisons fuir le lapin caché, Et le daim, au miroir des sources Admirant son grand bois penché! Puis chez nous, tout heureux, tout aises, En paniers enlaçant nos doigts, Revenons, rapportant des fraises Des bois!
Wandering far, very far from our path, We frighten the hiding rabbit And the deer by the watery mirror Admiring his great lowered antlers! Then, homeward, completely happy, joyous, Entwining our fingers basket-fashion, We return bringing wild strawberries From the woods!
Please turn the page quietly.
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Le spectre de la rose
Ghost of the Rose
Soulève ta paupière close Qu’effleure un songe virginal! Je suis le spectre d’une rose Que tu portais hier au bal. Tu me pris encore emperlée Des pleurs d’argent de l’arrosoir, Et, parmi la fête étoilée, Tu me promenas tout le soir.
Lift up your closed eyelids Brushed by a virginal dream. I am the ghost of a rose You wore last night at the ball. You picked me still sprinkled With silver tears from the watering-pot, And amid the sparkling festivity You walked me with you all evening.
O toi, qui de ma mort fus cause, Sans que tu puisses le chasser, Toutes les nuits mon spectre rose A ton chevet viendra danser; Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame Ni messe ni De Profundis, Ce léger parfum est mon âme, Et j’arrive au paradis.
Oh you who were the cause of my death, Without your being able to escape it, Night after night my rosy ghost Will come to dance by your pillow. But do not fear, I demand Neither Mass nor De Profundis. This light fragrance is my soul, And I come from paradise.
Mon destin fut digne d’envie, Et, pour avoir un sort si beau, Plus d’un aurait donné sa vie; Car sur ton sein j’ai mon tombeau. Et sur l’albâtre où je repose Un poète avec un baiser Écrivit: “Ci-gît une rose Que tous les rois vont jalouser.”
My destiny was worthy to be envied, And, to have so beautiful a fate More than one would have given his life, For on your breast I have my tomb. And on the alabaster where I rest A poet with a kiss Has written: “Here lies a rose Of whom every king will be jealous.”
Sur les lagunes
On the Lagoons
Ma belle amie est morte, Je pleurerai toujours, Sous la tombe elle emporte Mon âme et mes amours. Dans le ciel sans m’attendre, Elle s’en retourna, L’ange qui l’emmena Ne voulut pas me prendre. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour s’en aller sur la mer!
My fair one is dead, I shall weep forever; She takes with her to the tomb My soul and my love. To heaven, without waiting for me, She returned; The angel who led her there Did not want to take me. How bitter is my fate! Ah! Without love to depart on the sea!
La blanche créature Est couchée au cercueil; Comme dans la nature Tout me paraît en deuil! La colombe oubliée Pleure et songe à l’absent; Mon âme pleure et sent Qu’elle est dépareillée. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour s’en aller sur la mer!
The pale creature Lies in the grave; And now all nature Seems to me in mourning! The forsaken dove Weeps and dreams of the absent one; My soul weeps and feels As if cut in half. How bitter is my fate! Ah! Without love to depart on the sea!
Sur moi la nuit immense S’étend comme un linceul; Je chante ma romance Que le ciel entend seul. Ah, comme elle était belle, Et comme je l’aimais! Je n’aimerais jamais Une femme autant qu’elle. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour s’en aller sur la mer!
The vast night Spreads over me like a shroud; I sing my song That heaven alone hears. Ah, how beautiful she was And how I loved her! I shall never love A woman as much as her. How bitter is my fate! Ah! Without love to depart on the sea!
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Absence
Absence
Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée! Comme une fleur loin du soleil, La flueir de ma vie est fermée Loin de ton sourire vermeil.
Come back, come back, my beloved! Like a flower away from the sun, The flower of my life is closed, Far from your rosy smile.
Entre nos cœurs quelle distance! Tant d’espace entre nos baisers! O sort amer! ô dure absence! O grands désirs inapaisés!
Between our hearts what a distance! So much space between our kisses! Oh bitter fate, oh cruel absence! Oh great desires unappeased~
Reviens, reviens...
Come back, come back...
D’ici là-bas que de campagnes, Que de villes et de hameaux, Que de vallons et de montagnes, A lasser le pied des chevaux!
From here to there, so many fields, So many towns and villages, So many valleys and mountains, To weary the feet of the horses!
Reviens, reviens...
Come back, come back...
Au cimetière (Clair de lune)
In the Cemetery (Moonlight)
Connaissez-vous la blanche tombe, Où flotte avec un son plaintif L’ombre d’un if? Sur l’if une pâle colombe, Triste et seule au soleil couchant, Chante son chant:
Do you know the white tomb Where, with a plaintive sound, The shadow of a yew-tree floats? In the yew-tree a pale dove, Sad and alone in the setting sun, Sings his song:
Un air maladivement tendre, A la fois charmant et fatal, Qui vous fait mal Et qu’on voudrait toujours entendre, Un air comme en soupire aux cieux L’ange amoureux.
A song morbidly tender, At once enchanting and fateful That hurts you, And that one would like to hear forever, Like a song sighed out to heaven By the angel in love.
On dirait que l’âme éveillée Pleure sous terre à l’unisson De la chanson, Et du malheur d’être oubliée Se plaint dans un roucoulement Bien doucement.
One might say that the awakened soul Weeps under the earth in tune With the song. And, from grief at being forgotten, Complains with cooing Very sweetly.
Sur les ailes de la musique On sent lentement revenir Un souvenir. Une ombre, une forme angélique, Passe dans un rayon tremblant, En voile blanc.
On the wings of the music One feels that a memory Slowly returns. A shadow, an angelic form, Passes in a tremulous ray, In a white veil.
Les belles de nuit demi-closes Jettent leur parfum faible et doux Autour de vous, Et le fantôme aux molles poses Murmure en vous tendant les bras: “Tu reviendras!”
The night-flowers, half closed, Send their fragrance feeble and sweet About you, And the faint phantom Whispers, stretching its arms out to you: “You shall return!”
Oh! jamais plus, près de la tombe, Je n’irai, quand descend le soir Au manteau noir, Écouter la pâle colombe Chanter sur la ponte de l’if Son chant plaintif.
Oh! never again will I go near the tomb, When evening descends With its black mantle, To listen to the pale dove At the top of the yew-tree Singing his plaintive song. Please turn the page quietly.
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L’île inconnue
The Unknown Isle
Dites, la jeune belle, Où voulez-vous aller? La voile enfle son aile, La brise va souffler.
Tell me, young beauty, Where do you want to go? The sail swells out its wing, The breeze is going to blow.
L’aviron est d’ivoire, Le pavillon de moire, Le gouvernail d’or fin. J’ai pour lest une orange, Pour voile une aile d’ange, Pour mousse un séraphin.
The oar is of ivory, The flag of watered silk, The helm of fine gold. For ballast I have an orange, For sail, an angel’s wing, For ship-boy, a seraph.
Dites, la jeune belle...
Tell me, young beauty...
Est-ce dans la Baltique? Dans la Mer Pacifique, Dans l’île de Java? Ou bien est-ce en Norvège, Cueillir la fleur de neige, Ou la fleur d’Angsoka?
Is it to the Baltic? To the Pacific Ocean, To the island of Java? Or is it to Norway, To pick the snow flower, Or the Angsoka flower?
Dites, la jeune belle...
Tell me, young beauty...
“Menez-moi”, dit la belle, “A la rive fidèle, Où l’on aime toujours!” Cette rive, ma chère, On ne la connaît guère, Au pays des amours.
“Take me,” the fair one says, “To the faithful shore Where love lasts forever!” That shore, my dear, Is hardly known In the land of love.
Où voulez-vous aller? La brise va siffler.
Where to do want to go? The breeze is blowing.
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POULENC Banalités, FP 107 Text by Théophile Gautier
Translation by Peter Low
Par les portes d’Orkenise
Through the Gates of Orkenise
Par les portes d’Orkenise Veut entrer un charretier. Par les portes d’Orkenise Veut sortir un va-nu-pieds.
Through the gates of Orkenise a carter wants to enter. Through the gates of Orkenise a tramp wants to leave.
Et les gardes de la ville Courant sus au va-nu-pieds: “Qu’emportes-tu de la ville?” “J’y laisse mon cœur entier.”
And the sentries of the town rush up to the tramp and ask: “What are you taking out of the town?” “I’m leaving my whole heart behind.”
Et les gardes de la ville Courant sus au charretier: “Qu’apportes-tu dans la ville?” “Mon cœur pour me marier.”
And the sentries of the town rush up to the carter and ask: “What are you bringing into the town?” “My heart: I’m getting married.”
Que de cœurs dans Orkenise! Les gardes riaient, riaient, Va-nu-pieds, la route est grise, L’amour grise, ô charretier.
What a lot of hearts in Orkenise! The sentries laughed and laughed. Oh tramp, the road is grey, oh carter, love is grey.
Les beaux gardes de la ville Tricotaient superbement; Puis les portes de la ville Se fermèrent lentement.
The handsome sentries of the town knitted superbly; then the gates of the town slowly swung shut.
Hôtel
Hotel
Ma chambre a la forme d’une cage, Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre. Mais moi qui veux fumer pour faire des mirages J’allume au feu du jour ma cigarette. Je ne veux pas travailler – je veux fumer.
My room has the form of a cage. The sun reaches its arm in through the window. But I want to smoke and make shapes in the air, and so I light my cigarette on the sun’s fire. I don’t want to work – I want to smoke.
Please turn the page quietly.
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Fagnes de Wallonie
Walloon Moorlands
Tant de tristesses plénières Prirent mon cœur aux fagnes désolées Quand las j’ai reposé dans les sapinières Le poids des kilomètres pendant que râlait le vent d’ouest
So much deep sadness seized my heart on the desolate moors when I sat down weary among the firs, unloading the weight of the miles while the west wind growled.
J’avais quitté le joli bois Les écureuils y sont restés Ma pipe essayait de faire des nuages Au ciel Qui restait pur obstinément
I had left the pretty woods. The squirrels stayed there. My pipe tried to make clouds of smoke in the sky which stubbornly stayed blue.
Je n’ai confié aucun secret sinon une chanson énigmatique Aux tourbières humides
I murmured no secret except an enigmatic song which I confided to the peat bog.
Les bruyères fleurant le miel Attiraient les abeilles Et mes pieds endoloris Foulaient les myrtilles et les airelles Tendrement mariée Nord Nord La vie s’y tord En arbres forts Et tors. La vie y mord La mort À belles dents Quand bruit le vent.
Smelling of honey, the heather was attracting the bees, and my aching feet trod bilberries and whortleberries. Tenderly married North! North! There life twists in trees that are strong and gnarled. There life bites death with greedy teeth when the wind howls.
Voyage à Paris
Going to Paris
Ah! la charmante chose Quitter un pays morose Pour Paris Paris joli Qu’un jour dut créer l’Amour.
Ah! how delightful it is to leave a dismal place and head for Paris! Beautiful Paris that one day Love must have created!
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Sanglots
Sobs
Notre amour est réglé par les calmes étoiles Or nous savons qu’en nous beaucoup d’hommes respirent Qui vinrent de très loin et sont un sous nos fronts C’est la chanson des rêveurs Qui s’étaient arraché le cœur Et le portaient dans la main droite... Souviens-t’en cher orgueil de tous ces souvenirs Des marins qui chantaient comme des conquérants. Des gouffres de Thulé, des tendres cieux d’Ophir Des malades maudits, de ceux qui fuient leur ombre Et du retour joyeux des heureux émigrants. De ce cœur il coulait du sang Et le rêveur allait pensant À sa blessure délicate... Tu ne briseras pas la chaîne de ces causes... ...Et douloureuse et nous disait: ...Qui sont les effets d’autres causes Mon pauvre cœur, mon cœur brisé Pareil au cœur de tous les hommes... Voici nos mains que la vie fit esclaves ...Est mort d’amour ou c’est tout comme Est mort d’amour et le voici. Ainsi vont toutes choses Arrachez donc le vôtre aussi! Et rien ne sera libre jusqu’à la fin ders temps Laissons tout aux morts Et cachons nos sanglots
Our love is rules by the calm stars. We know that within us many people breathe who came from afar and are united behind our brows. This is the song of those dreamers who had torn out their hearts and carried them in their right hand... Remember, dear pride, all those memories: the sailors who sang like conquerors, the chasms of Thule, the tender skies of Ophir, the accursed sick, those who flee their own shadows, and the joyful return of the happy emigrants. Blood was flowing from that heart; and the dreamer went on thinking of his delicate wound... You will not break the chain of those causes... ...and painful and kept saying to us: ...which are the effects of other causes. My poor heart, my broken heart like the hearts of all men... Look, here are our hands which life enslaved, ...has died of love and here it is. That is the way of all things. So tear your hearts out too! And nothing will be free until the end of time. Let us leave everything to the dead, and let us hide our sobbing. Translation from lieder.net. Reprinted by kind permission.
Please turn the page quietly.
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COPLAND
The world feels dusty
Selection from the Emily Dickinson Songs
The world feels dusty When we stop to die; We want the dew then, Honors taste dry.
Nature, the Gentlest Mother Nature the gentlest mother Impatient of no child The feeblest or the waywardest Her admonition mild
Flags vex a dying face But the least fan Stirred by a friend’s hand Cools like the rain.
In forest and the hill By traveler is heard Restraining rampant squirrel Or too impetuous bird.
Mine be the ministry When thy thirst comes, Dews of thyself to fetch And holy balms.
How fair her conversation A summer afternoon. Her household, her assembly And when the sun goes down
I’ve heard an organ
Her voice among the aisles Incites the timid prayer Of the minutest cricket The most unworthy flower. When all the children sleep, She turns as long away, As will suffice to light her lamps Then, bending from the sky, With infinite attention And infiniter care Her golden finger on her lip Wills silence everywhere.
There Came a Wind Like a Bugle There came a wind like a bugle, It quivered through the grass, And a green chill upon the heat so ominous did pass. We barred the window and the doors As from an emerald ghost The doom’s electric mocassin that very instant passed. On a strange mob of panting trees and fences fled away. And rivers where the houses ran the living looked that day, The bell within the steeple wild The flying tiding whirled. How much can come and much can go And yet abide the world!
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I’ve heard an organ talk sometimes In a cathedral aisle And understood no word it said Yet held my breath a while And risen up and gone away, A more Bernardine girl And know not what was done to me In that old hallowed aisle.
Going to Heaven! Going to Heaven! I don’t know when Pray do not ask me how! Indeed I’m too astonished to think of answering you. Going to Heaven! How dim it sounds. And yet it will be done As sure as flocks go home at night Unto the shepherd’s arm! Perhaps you’re going too! Who knows? If you should get there first, Save just a little place for me, Close to the two I lost -The smallest “robe” will fit me and just a bit of “crown” for you know we do not mind our dress when we are going home. Going to Heaven! I’m glad I don’t believe it For it would stop my breath And I’d like to look a little more at such a curious earth. I am glad they did believe it Whom I have never found Since they mighty autumn afternoon I left them in the ground. armoryonpark.org
The Chariot
Slow Foxtrot
Because I would not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me. The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality.
Lacquer bows to bleu marine, fingerwaved, who must respond as though she were not gratified. Begin the formal promenade. The sea is wrinkled like a skin and laps the darkly pitted sand. A liner moving Tunis-bound sets the powdered stars aside, jeweling the bay alone, and creeping on and creeping on, elegant, à la mode, fades away from sight of land. And don’t you love the negro band? Don’t you adore the saxophone? Your nails are painted deep as blood. Softly flexing insteps glide Attentive to the livelong end beneath the scalpel of the moon.
We slowly drove, He knew no haste And I had put away My labour and my leisure too For his civility. We passed the school where children played, Their lessons scarcely done We passed the fields of gazing grain We passed the setting sun. We paused before a house that seemed A swelling of the ground; The roof was scarcely visible The cornice but a mound. Since then 'tis centuries; but each Feels shorter than the day, I first surmised the horses’ heads Were toward eternity.
RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT The History of the Thé Dansant Text by Meg Peacocke Foxtrot The briefest card my dear we are leaving Imagine the long curve of the Blue Train like the line of a mouth closed and smiling and Charles in the opposite window seat head thrown back, the smoke from his cigarette coiling and coiling There is a fellow in the carriage with artificial legs and a scar on his face unspeakable My hem is in handkerchief points my head is a gleaming oval on the fluid stem of my spine I shall turn my shoulders the silhouette narrow and disengaged Imagine the endless fluid bias of the waves I shall show my creamy back Write to the Hôtel Blanc I am learning a modern geometry of desire
Tango Let us invent marble and five o’clock. I’ll take white, you take black. How engagingly we rhyme across the chequered level in the perfume of tea and petits fours. I shall sample the tiniest slice of the Grand Succès on the lemon terrace, the newly apparent moon a delicacy cat-ice thin, fresh as mimosa. Your legs are dangerously long under the palm trees at Menton, my thighs all silk and hesitation drawing the tango down the polished length of the floor. And the cellos have such slim waists and violins are girls with flattened breasts. Let us invent the chaise longue, bamboo, Lapsang Souchong, linen and panama. You may cough and thump your stick, but I have been up in the attic and I have a bundle of postcards here to prove that once we were seen to be in love on the Riviera in nineteen-twenty-four.
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ABOUT THE ARMORY Part American palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory is dedicated to supporting unconventional works in the visual and performing arts that need non-traditional spaces for their full realization, enabling artists to create, students to explore, and audiences to consume epic and adventurous presentations that can not be mounted elsewhere in New York City. Since its first production in September 2007, the Armory has organized and commissioned immersive performances, installations, and cross-disciplinary collaborations by visionary artists, directors, and impresarios in its vast drill hall that defy traditional categorization and to push the boundaries of their practice. In its historic period rooms, the Armory presents small-scale performances and programs, including its acclaimed Recital Series in the intimate salon setting of the Board of Officers Room and the Artists Studio series in the newly restored Veterans Room. The Armory also offers robust arts education programs at no cost to underserved New York City public school students, engaging them with the institution’s artistic programming and the building’s history and architecture. Built between 1877 and 1881, Park Avenue Armory has been hailed as containing “the single most important collection of nineteenth century interiors to survive intact in one building” by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall, with an 80-foot-high barrel vaulted roof, is one of the largest unobstructed spaces in New York City. The Armory’s magnificent reception rooms were designed by leaders of the American Aesthetic Movement, among them Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Candace Wheeler, and Herter Brothers. The building is currently undergoing a $210-million renovation designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Platt Byard Dovell White Architects as Executive Architects.
PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer Pierre Audi, Artistic Director Jenni Bowman, Producer David Burnhauser, Collection Manager Courtney Caldwell, Venue Events Manager Leandro Dasso, Porter Khemraj Dat, Accountant John Davis, Facilities Director Jordana De La Cruz, Special Projects Coordinator Mayra DeLeon, Porter Marcia Ebaugh-Pallán, Manager of Special Events Alexander Frenkel, Controller Lissa Frenkel, Managing Director Melanie Forman, Chief Development Officer Caelan Fortes, Individual Giving Assistant Peter Gee, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Pip Gengenbach, Education Coordinator Carlie Guevara, Administrative Assistant, President’s Office Jennie Herreid, Ticket Services Manager Reginald Hunter, Building Mechanic Cassidy Jones, Education Director Chelsea Emelie Kelly, Youth Corps Coordinator Paul King, Director of Production Allison Kline, Director of Foundation and Government Relations Nicholas Lazzaro, Production Operations Manager Jennifer Levine, Director of Special Events Michael Lonergan, Producing Director Wayne Lowery, Security Director Jason Lujan, Operations Manager 18
Lori Nelson, Executive Assistant to the President Walter Nin, Security Manager Maxine Petry, Manager of Individual Giving Charmaine Portis, Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer Morgan Powell, Membership Coordinator Kirsten Reoch, Director of Design and Construction Erik Rogers, Production Coordinator Matthew Rymkiewicz, Tessitura Database Manager William Say, Superintendent Jennifer Smith, Associate Director of Corporate Relations Tom Trayer, Director of Marketing Chris Van Alstyne, Technical Director Brandon Walker, Associate Technical Director Jessica Wasilewski, Producer Monica Weigel McCarthy, Associate Director of Education Avery Willis Hoffman, Program Director Nick Yarbrough, Digital Marketing Manager Joshua Zajdman, Press and Editorial Manager Youth Corps Santiago Budier, Rachel Calabrese, Logan Delgado, Joselin Flores, Lizmarie Garcia, Isatu Jalloh, Sinaia Jones, Terrelle Jones, Destiny Lora, Leidy Dania Carrasco Paulino, Angela Reynoso, Rafael Rosario, Cory Sierra, Keshawn Wallace, Maegan Wright Production Acknowledgments Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Matthew Epstein, Artistic Consultants for Vocal Recitals Steinway & Sons armoryonpark.org
NEXT IN THE RECITAL SERIES WU MAN AND THE SHANGHAI QUARTET
SABINE DEVIEIHLE, soprano ANNA LE BOZEC, piano
june 20–21
“The pipa and the quartet achieved a kind of exuberant synergy together, as if each were leapfrogging over the other in a mad rush to expressive extremes, and when it ended, it ended too soon.” —The Washington Post The acclaimed Shanghai Quartet and pipa (Chinese lute) virtuoso Wu Man unite to perform new works by contemporary Chinese composers, including works by YiWen Jang, Zhou Long, and Tan Dun. Called “wonderfully ferocious and illuminating” by The Washington Post, the Shanghai Quartet are recognized for their unique fluency in both Eastern folk and Western Classical idioms. Hailed as a leading ambassador of Chinese music, Wu Man is “the artist most responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western world” (Los Angeles Times).
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE, tenor MYRA HUANG AND JASON MORAN, piano august 9–11
“He sang with agility, elegance, and Rossinian style, tossing off high notes and roulades…this was a winning performance for an increasingly important artist.” —The New York Times Known as one of the world’s leading bel canto tenors, American-born Lawrence Brownlee has captivated audiences and critics alike with a wide range of roles from opera to contemporary music and jazz. The acclaimed singer comes to the Armory for a progressive concert that bridges multiple historic period rooms. The evening begins in the Board of Officers Room with a recital of lieder and art songs and continues in the Veterans Room with jazz standards and American spirituals, both designed to showcase his unique vocal artistry as well as the ambience of the spaces in which it is showcased.
october 1–3
“irresistibly good…expressive and incisive, Devieilhe is in command of everything…” —The Guardian (UK) Coloratura soprano Sabine Devieilhe is quickly making a name for herself as one of the most exciting young voices around, making lauded debuts at opera houses throughout Europe including Dutch National Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and the Glyndebourne Festival. She makes her North American recital debut with a program of French art songs that perfectly showcases the sheer beauty of her vocal virtuosity in one of the most elegant and intimate spaces—the Board of Officers Room.
PATRICIA KOPATCHINSKAJA, violin JAY CAMPBELL, cello october 9–10
“…there is astonishing artistry to complement her creativity. She plays most of the time barefoot onstage. Her body and her instrument and the music she makes all seem one. She is ever thrilling alive to the moment.” — Los Angeles Times Born into a Moldavian family of musicians, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja is a bundle of energy known as much for the passion and virtuosity of her playing as for the fact that she often performs barefoot. The natural phenomenon comes to the Board of Officers Room with cellist Jay Campbell to perform duos from a wide ranging repertoire that perfectly showcases the pair’s extreme styles of music making, from the early music of Gibbons to classical works by Ravel and contemporary compositions by Xenakis, Ligeti, and a world premiere by Michael Hersch.
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NEXT AT THE ARMORY THE HAIRY APE
BLANK OUT
“Superb … a rare and exhilarating revival of a play that shows the ability of expressionism to pin down the encaged isolation of the eternally oppressed.” —The Guardian (UK)
“A wonderfully fluent and effective piece of music theatre” —The Guardian (UK)
september 21–25
march 25–april 22
Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill’s iconic piece of expressionist drama gets a thrilling new life in a production by visionary dirmector Richard Jones. Tony-nominated actor Bobby Cannavale stars as Yank, whose journey literally revolves around the audience like the conveyer belt of a larger machine. This fresh approach creates an inventive and contemporary rallying cry addressed as much to our own gilded age as to O’Neill’s that rattles the cages of capitalism.
Based on the life and work of South African poet Ingrid Jonker, this groundbreaking work by innovative composer and creator Michel van der Aa combines live action, innovative techniques of interactive film, and inventive music to consider the ways in which we reconstruct and deal with traumatic life events. Soprano Miah Person sings live, combined with replayed loops of herself and the voice of baritone Roderick Williams in 3D film to create haunting musical passages and ensembles, and in the process, an entirely new form of opera.
FLEXN EVOLUTION
RÉPONS
may 18–21
october 6–7
“… [a] searing example of dance as protest” ” —The Boston Globe
“It’s gritty and rigorous, but also sumptuous and fanciful– the sheer visceral excitement of being caught in the middle was like nothing else in music.” — The New York Times
Characterized by snapping, pausing, bone-breaking, gliding, get-low, hat tricks, and real-time in-body animation, FLEXN is a form of street dance that has evolved from the Jamaican bruk-up found in dance halls and reggae clubs in Brooklyn. After dazzling audiences in 2015, this thrilling group of dance innovators returns to the Armory with a constantly evolving style and vocabulary that continually reflects the new virtuosity and new urgency demanded by the times.
HANSEL & GRETEL june 7–august 6
“[Herzog & de Meuron] are always dedicated to enlarging experience where others would flatten it, and heightening the specifics of a place when there are pressures to erase them. They are champions of nuance” —Architectural Review “ …it is the essence of Ai’s activism: …work that unleashes the political power of art.” —The Guardian (UK) In a new commission that is both object and environment, Pritzker Prize-winning architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron with artist/activist Ai Weiwei explore the meaning of public space in our surveillance-laden world, referencing the story of Hansel and Gretel in which the children lose their way and feel a sense of menace in a space they know and trust. The artists create a 21st century public place in which the environment is disconcerting, the entrance is unexpected, and every movement is tracked and surveyed by drones and communicated to an unknown public. 20
Rarely staged in concert halls given its unconventional configuration of the space, Pierre Boulez’s spatial masterwork is written for and realized at the Armory by Ensemble intercontemporain and conductor Matthias Pintscher, who perform this emblematic work twice in succession each evening, with the audience changing seats in between to gain a new sonic perspective. This remarkable presentation marks the first performance in New York of a major work by Boulez since his death in early 2016.
ARTISTS STUDIO Curated by jazz pianist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Jason Moran, these performances explore the culture of sound that can be visibly seen in the newly reopened Veterans Room, while allowing these creative thinkers to actively explore bold new directions of global influence in contemporary music. Upcoming Performances:
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO april 25–26 RASHAAD NEWSOME november 7 JO LAWRY & KAVITA SHAH november 21
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PARK AVENUE ARMORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Co-Chairman Elihu Rose, PhD. Co-Chairman Adam R. Flatto President and Executive Producer Rebecca Robertson
Marina Abramović Harrison M. Bains Wendy Belzberg Emma Bloomberg Martin Brand Carolyn Brody Cora Cahan Peter C. Charrington Hélène Comfort Paul Cronson Emme Levin Deland Sanford B. Ehrenkranz David Fox Marjorie L. Hart Edward G. Klein, Major General NYNG (Ret.) Ken Kuchin Mary T. Kush
Pablo Legorreta Ralph Lemon Heidi McWilliams David S. Moross Gwendolyn Adams Norton Joel Press Genie H. Rice Amanda J.T. Riegel Janet C. Ross Joan Steinberg Emanuel Stern Mimi Klein Sternlicht Angela E. Thompson Deborah C. van Eck Founding Chairman, 2000-2009 Wade F.B. Thompson
PARK AVENUE ARMORY ARTISTIC COUNCIL Co-Chairs Noreen Buckfire Michael Field Caryn Schacht and David Fox Heidi and Tom McWilliams
Wendy Belzberg and Strauss Zelnick A. Cary Brown and Steven Epstein Elizabeth Coleman Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort Emme and Jonathan Deland Krystyna Doerfler Olivia and Adam Flatto Anita K. Hersh Wendy Keys Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan Chad A. Leat Aaron Lieber and Bruce Horten Christina and Alan MacDonald Elizabeth and Frank Newman
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Janet and David P. Nolan Gwen and Peter Norton Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker Richard and Amanda J.T. Riegel Susan and Elihu Rose Susan Rudin Joan and Michael Steinberg Liz and Emanuel Stern Mimi Klein Sternlicht Deborah C. van Eck Robert Vila and Diana Barrett Mary Wallach Richard and Franny Heller Zorn
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SUPPORTERS Park Avenue Armory expresses its deep appreciation to the individuals and organizations listed here for their generous support for its annual and capital campaigns. $1,000,000 + Charina Endowment Fund Empire State Local Development Corporation Richard and Ronay Menschel New York City Council and Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick New York City Department of Cultural Affairs The Pershing Square Foundation Susan and Elihu Rose The Arthur Ross Foundation and J & AR Foundation Joan and Joel Smilow The Thompson Family Foundation Wade F.B. Thompson* The Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust Anonymous
$500,000 to $999,999 Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz Almudena and Pablo Legorreta The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Assemblymember Dan Quart and the New York State Assembly Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan Donna and Marvin Schwartz Liz and Emanuel Stern
$250,000 to $499,999 American Express Bloomberg Philanthropies Citi Michael Field Olivia and Adam Flatto Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation Marshall Rose Family Foundation
$100,000 to $249,999 The Achelis and Bodman Foundations R. Mark Adams Altman Foundation Linda and Earle S. Altman Booth Ferris Foundation Martin Brand The W.L. Lyons Brown, Jr. Charitable Foundation Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort Emme and Jonathan Deland Marjorie and Gurnee Hart Kirkland & Ellis LLP Mary T. Kush Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin and The Malkin Fund, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse, Jr. David P. Nolan Foundation Gwen and Peter Norton The Pinkerton Foundation Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Caryn Schacht and David Fox Amy and Jeffrey Silverman Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Joan and Michael Steinberg Mimi Klein Sternlicht
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Mr. and Mrs. William C. Tomson Deborah C. van Eck
$25,000 to $99,999 The Avenue Association Harrison and Leslie Bains Ginette and Joshua A. Becker Emily and Len Blavatnik Emma Bloomberg and Chris Frissora BMW of Manhattan Carolyn S. Brody Noreen and Ken Buckfire Janna Bullock The Cowles Charitable Trust Mary Cronson / Evelyn Sharp Foundation Caroline and Paul Cronson Ellie and Edgar Cullman Drake / Anderson Stuart J. Ellman and Susan H.B. Ellman The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation Andrew L. Farkas, Island Capital Group & C-III Capital Partners Mr. and Mrs. Martin Geller Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Golub Captial LLC Agnes Gund Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Gundlach The Hearst Foundations Josefin and Paul Hilal Anna Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, Inc. and Marina Kellen French Wendy Keys La Perla Christina and Alan MacDonald Christine & Richard Mack Marc Haas Foundation Andrea Markezin and Joel Press Cindy and David Moross National Endowment for the Arts New York State Council on the Arts Elizabeth and Frank Newman Stavros Niarchos Foundation Joan and Joel I. Picket Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker The Reed Foundation Rhodebeck Charitable Trust Genie and Donald Rice Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief Janet C. Ross Jack and Susan Rudin The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch The Shubert Foundation Sydney and Stanley S. Shuman Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Sanford L. Smith Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon Michael and Veronica Stubbs Thor Industries, Inc. Barbara and Donald Tober VIA Art Fund Robert Vila and Diana Barrett Anonymous (2)
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$10,000 to $24,999 ADCO Electrical Corporation Gina Addeo AR Global Investments, LLC Jody and John Arnhold Sara Steinhardt Berman Mr. and Mrs. Chase Coleman Elizabeth Coleman Con Edison Krystyna Doerfler William F. Draper Andra and John Ehrenkranz Florence Fearrington Ella M. Foshay and Michael B. Rothfeld Amandine and Steve Freidheim Kiendl and John Gordon Jeff and Kim Greenberg Mr. and Mrs. Mikel Halvorson Elizabeth and Dale Hemmerdinger Anita K. Hersh Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin Daniel Clay Houghton William and Elizabeth Kahane Kaplen Brothers Fund Erin and Alex Klatskin Suzie and Bruce Kovner Jill and Peter Kraus Chad A. Leat Leon Levy Foundation Richard H. Levy & Lorraine Gallard Aaron Lieber and Bruce Horten Lili Lynton and Michael Ryan Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Patty Newburger and Bradley Wechsler Northern Bay Contractors, Inc. PBDW Architects LLP Katharine and William Rayner Mary Jane Robertson and James A. Clark Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Rosen May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. William Sandholm Oscar S. Schafer Stacy Schiff and Marc de la Bruyere Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Sculco Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation Lea Simonds Sotheby’s Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund Tishman Speyer Properties, LP Tishman Construction, an AECOM Company Jane and Robert Toll Mary Wallach Mike Weil and Shirley Madhere-Weil William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Foundation Richard and Franny Heller Zorn Anonymous (2)
$5,000 to $9,999 ABS Partners Real Estate, LLC Benigno Aguilar and Gerald Erickson Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Auerbach Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation
Abigail Baratta Mr. and Mrs. Victor Barnett The David Berg Foundation, Inc. Amy Bermingham and Charles Wilson Debra and Leon Black Nicholas Brawer Catherine and Robert Brawer Daniel and Estrellita Brodsky Tom and Meredith Brokaw Veronica Bulgari and Stephan Haimo Amanda M. Burden Marian and Russell Burke Eileen Campbell and Struan Robertson CBRE Mr. and Mrs. David Cohen Betsy Cohn Sarah and Ronald Collins Mrs. Daniel Cowin Margaret Crotty and Rory Riggs Joshua Dachs / Fisher Dachs Associates Theatre Planning and Design Constance and Gregory Dalvito Diana Davenport and John Bernstein Antoinette Delruelle and Joshua L. Steiner Jennie L. and Richard K. DeScherer Liz Diller and Ricardo Scofidio Jeanne Donovan Fisher Peggy and Millard Drexler Mary Ellen G. Dundon Eagle Capital Management, L.L.C. David and Frances Eberhart Foundation Ehrenkranz & Ehrenkranz LLP EIDOS Inger McCabe Elliott Dr. Nancy Eppler-Wolff and Mr. John Wolff Alicia Ernst and John Katzman The Felicia Fund Fisher Marantz Stone, Inc. Barbara and Peter Georgescu The Georgetown Company Debbi Gibbs Richard Gilder and Lois Chiles Sarah Gould and David Steinhardt Mindy and Jon Gray Jamee and Peter Gregory Gunther E. Greiner Deborah Grubman Allen and Deborah Grubman Molly Butler Hart and Michael D. Griffin Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hite Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hurwitz Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper Max MF Power Jacobellis Nancy Josephson Jennie Kassanoff and Dan Schulman Mr. and Mrs. Richard Katzman Mr. and Mrs. Fernand Lamesch Sahra T. Lese Gail and Alan Levenstein Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Levine Kamie and Richard Lightburn Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin Diane and Adam E. Max VĂŠronique Mazard and Andrew Vogel Adriana and Robert Mnuchin Mr. and Mrs. Michael Newhouse Nancy and Morris W. Offit Peter and Beverly Orthwein Mindy Papp Susan Porter Anne and Skip Pratt Preserve New York, a grant program of Preservation League of New York Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pruzan David J. Remnick and Esther B. Fein
Jonathan F.P. and Diana Rose Liz Rosen and Michael Rozen Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation Chuck and Stacy Rosenzweig Deborah and Chuck Royce H.O. Ruding and Renee Ruding-Hekking Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Ruesch Jeanne Ruesch Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Sagansky Mr. Leigh Seippel Stephanie and Fred Shuman Margaret Smith Daisy M. Soros Patricia Brown Specter Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Stevenson Diane and Sam Stewart Elizabeth Stribling and Guy Robinson The Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation Michael Tuch Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Ulrich Anastasia Vournas and J. William Uhrig David Wassong and Cynthia Clift Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation, Inc. Valda Witt and Jay Hatfield Cynthia Young and George Eberstadt Anonymous
$2,500 to $4,999 Ark Restaurants Corp. Patrick Baldoni, Femenella & Associates, Inc. Tony Bechara Judy and Howard Berkowitz Mr. and Mrs. Robert Birnbaum Cathleen P. Black and Thomas E. Harvey Allison M. Blinken Amy Brown Mr. and Mrs. Donald Calder Alexandre and Lori Chemla Emy Cohenca Mr. and Mrs. Tony Coles Connelly & McLaughlin Creative Artists Agency The Cultivist Sasha Cutter and Aaron Hsu Joan K. Davidson (The J.M. Kaplan Fund) Megan del Valle Luis y Cora Delgado Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Duda Karen Eckhoff Cheryl and Blair Effron Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Alice and David Elgart Mr. and Mrs. Michael Evans Mr. and Mrs. Jared Feldman Laura Jane Finn Megan Flanigan Claudia Fleming and George Bitar Melanie and Robert Forman Susan Freedman and Richard J. Jacobs Bart Friedman and Wendy A. Stein Teri Friedman Mr. and Mrs. Scott Gerber Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Gibbons Sylvia Golden Marjorie and Ellery Gordon Archie Gottesman and Gary S. DeBode Elizabeth and David Granville-Smith Great Performances Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Greene Mr. Jeff Greene and Ms. Kim Lovejoy The William and Mary Greve Foundation Marieline Grinda and Ahmad Deek Anne Grissinger John Hargraves
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Jay Herman Roger and Susan Hertog Augusta Hoffman and Jonathan Swygert Caron and Geoffrey Johnson Paul Kanavos and Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos Hon. Bruce M. Kaplan and Janet Yaseen Kaplan Nancy Kestenbaum and David Klafter Diana King / The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation Knickerbocker Greys Phyllis L. Kossoff Judith Langer The Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder Foundation Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lehrman Levien & Company, Inc. Maria Lilien Heather Lubov Luhring Augustine Gallery Judith and Michael Margulies Angela Mariani Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Mayberry, Jr. Constance and H. Roemer McPhee Joyce F. Menschel Mr. and Mrs. William Michaelcheck Sergio and Malu Millerman Claire Milonas Achim and Colette Moeller Frank Moore Mr. and Mrs. Robert Morse Barbara and Howard Morse Mr. and Mrs. Saleem Muqaddam James C. Marlas and Marie Nugent-Head Marlas Francesca and Dick Nye Kathleen O’Grady David Orentreich, MD / Orentreich Family Foundation Mario Palumbo Madison J Papp Elizabeth and Jeffrey Peek Christos Petranis George Petrides Joseph Piacentile Marnie Pillsbury Eileen and Tom Pulling Jeff Rabin, TEFAF NY and Michael Plummer, TEFAF NY Frank and Kimba Richardson Heidi Rieger Susan and Jon Rotenstreich Valerie Rubsamen and Cedomir Crnkovic Bonnie J. Sacerdote Nathan E. Saint-Amand Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Satnick Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Saul Susan and Charles Sawyers Mr. Paul Scarbrough / Akustiks, LLC. Caroline Schmidt-Barnett Sara Lee and Axel Schupf Mr. Barry Schwartz / M&F Worldwide Corp. Lise Scott and D. Ronald Daniel Uma Seshamani and Jason van Itallie Kimia Setoodeh Alan and Sandy Siegel Denise Simon and Paulo Vieiradacunha Stephanie and Dick Solar Sara Solomon Mr. and Mrs. David Sonenberg Sonnier & Castle Melissa Schiff Soros Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Spahn Douglas C. Steiner Angeline Straka
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Mr. and Mrs. Tom Strauss Ambassador and Mrs. Liangang Sun Bill and Ellen Taubman Mary Ann Tighe Lindsey Turner Mr. and Mrs. Jan van Eck Herbert P. Van Ingen Ambassador and Mrs. William J. vanden Heuvel Amanda and John Waldron Susan and Kevin Walsh Mati Weiderpass David Reed Weinreb Jacqueline Weld Drake Katherine Wenning and Michael Dennis Kate R. Whitney and Franklin A. Thomas Shannon Wu Amy Yenkin and Robert Usdan Judy Francis Zankel Zubatkin Owner Representation, LLC Anonymous
$1,000 to $2,499 Lindsey Adelman Marina Abramović Lindsey Adelman Eric Altmann Steve Bakunas The Bay and Paul Foundations, Inc. Norton Belknap Kristine Bell Dale and Max Berger Katherine Birch Hana Bitton Bluestem Prairie Foundation Dr. Suzy and Mr. Lincoln Boehm Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon Bonovitz Barbara Brandt Mr. and Mrs. Louis Brause Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Brodsky Cora Cahan and Bernard Gersten Chanda Chapin Anna Chapman Jennifer Chen Shirin and Kasper Christoffersen Alexander Cooper Jessica and David Cosloy Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Crisses Boykin Curry Mr. and Mrs. Charles Daniels Virginia Louise Davies Virginia Davies and Willard Taylor Jiggs Davis Suzanne Dawson Mr. and Mrs. Thomas de Neufville Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Deane Richard and Barbara Debs Diana Diamond and John H. Alschuler Hester Diamond Jacqueline Didier and Noah Schienfeld Mr. and Mrs. Michael Donner Mr. and Mrs. Marty Eisenberg Amy Grovas Elliott Gretchen Englander Fig & Olive Restaurant Amy Fine Collins and Bradley Collins EdmÊe and Nicholas Firth Ann Fitzpatrick Brown Paul and Jody Fleming Kathleen and David Glaymon Nina Gorrissen von Maltzahn Mr. and Mrs. Peter Greenleaf Mr. and Mrs. George Grunebaum Jessica Guff
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Robert H. Haines Stephanie Hessler Maria E Hidrobo Kaufman and Gabriel Kaufman William T. Hillman Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ho Susanna Hong Patrick Janelle Jennifer Joel Mr. and Mrs. David Johnson Patricia S. Joseph Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Julian Hattie K. Jutagir The Kandell Fund / Donald J. Gordon Jeanne Kanders Drs. Sylvia and Byram Karasu Adrienne Katz Karl and Elizabeth Katz Jackie Keber Margot Kenly and Bill Cumming Lauren Kenny Major General Edward G. Klein, NYNG (Ret.) Gloria and Richard Kobrin Beth Kojima Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Krueger Justin Kush Katherine Kwei Polly and Frank Lagemann Nanette L. Laitman Barbara Landau Kate Lauprete Mark and Taryn Leavitt Lexi Lehman Ralph Lemon Phyllis Levin Jane K. Lombard Donna and Wayne Lowery Liz MacNeill Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Mansour Nancy A. Marks Match 65 Brasserie Mr. and Mrs. Patrick McClymont Martha B. McLanahan Melissa Meeschaert Mr. and Mrs. Berk Mesta Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Meyer Laurent Mialhe Abby and Howard Milstein Sandra Earl Mintz Whitney and Andrew Mogavero Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Mordacq Sue Morris Leslie and Curt Myers The New York Community Trust Nicholson & Galloway, Inc. Beth Nowers and Jack Curtin Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Numeroff Ellen Oelsner Mr. and Ms. Joseph Patton Mr. and Mrs. Brian Pfeifler Stefani Phipps Max Pine Mr. and Mrs. Lyon Polk Mr. and Ms. Joshua Prentice Prime Parking Systems Anna Rabinowitz Mr. and Mrs. Richard Reiss Michael D. Rhea Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation Isabel Rose and Jeffrey Fagen Marjorie P. Rosenthal Mr. and Mrs. Eric Roth Jane Royal and John Lantis Elizabeth Sarnoff and Andrew S. Cohen Mr. and Mrs. David Schiff
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Pat Schoenfeld Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Schulhof Nadine Shaoul and Mark Schonberger Claude Shaw and Lara Meiland-Shaw Gil Shiva Mr. and Mrs. Michael Shuman Laura Skoler Jenny Slayton-Green Phyllis Smith Jeremy Snyder and Maggie Nemser Mr. and Mrs. Michael Spies Martha S. Sproule Squadron A Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Steiner Colleen Stenzler Leila Maw Straus Dorothy Strelsin Foundation / Enid Nemy Shining Sung Mr. and Mrs. John Vogelstein Mr. and Mrs. Alexander von Perfall Claude Wasserstein Lauren and Andrew Weisenfeld Christina Westley Reva Wurtzburger Mr. and Mrs. Michael Young Michel Zaleski Mr. and Mrs. Adam Zurofsky Anonymous (6) List as of February 1, 2017 * Deceased
ABOUT THE BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM “The restoration of the Park Avenue Armory seems destined to set a new standard, not so much for its scale, but for its level of respect and imagination.” – The New York Times The Board of Officers Room is one of the most important historic rooms in America and one of the few remaining interiors by Herter Brothers. After decades of progressive damage and neglect, the room completed a revitalization in 2013 by the architecture team at Herzog & de Meuron and executive architects Platt Byard Dovell White Architects to transform the space into a state-of-the- art salon for intimate performances and other contemporary art programing. The Board of Officers Room is the third period room at the Armory completed (out of 18) and represents the full range of design tools utilized by the team including the removal of accumulated layers on the surfaces, the addition of contemporary lighting to the 1897 chandeliers, new interpretations of the stencil patterns on areas of loss, the addition of metallic finishes on new materials, new programming infrastructure, and custom designed furniture.
The room’s restoration is part of an ongoing $210-million transformation, which is guided by the understanding that the Armory’s rich history and the patina of time are essential to its character. A defining component of the design process for the period rooms is the close collaboration between architect and artisan. Highly skilled craftspeople working in wood, paint, plaster, and metals were employed in the creation of the building’s original interiors and the expertise – and hand – of similar artisans has been drawn upon for the renovation work throughout.
The renovation of the Board of Officers Room was made possible through the generosity of The Thompson Family Foundation. Cover photo by Da Ping Luo.