Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Pierre Boulez’s RÉPONS at the Park Avenue Armory is an enveloping experience

• By drediman
• October 10, 2017
• No Comments

Pierre Boulez’s “Repons” performed at the Park Avenue Armory.

The late Pierre Boulez’s Répons made its first “proper” New York appearance in more than a decade this past weekend at the Park Avenue Armory. It was an enveloping musical experience, to be sure. I say proper because the piece requires the orchestra to be positioned in the center of the audience, who is in turn surrounded by the soloists – a challenging configuration for a performance of classical music. In addition, the sonic dimensions of the piece are enhanced through amplification from above the audience, further placing the audience at the eye of the Boulez’s musical storm, which many consider one of his masterworks.

The composition, based on a series of musical calls and responses, was performed by the excellent Ensemble intercontemporain under the dynamic conductor Matthias Pintscher. As staged by the armory’s artistic director Pierre Audi, the concert made for a very theatrical occasion. In addition to being performed in the armory’s mammoth drill hall, which in and of itself is a innately dramatic space, the staging also featured stunning, bold lighting by Urs Schönebaum. With Répons, Boulez was ahead of his time in many respects – the way he plays with space and perspective, both physically and acoustically (particularly in a space like the armory), is an immersive experience like no other in the world of classical music. It can only be fully appreciated in person.

This Répons was performed twice, with the audiences changing seat locations at intermission in order to experience the piece anew from a different location. Unfortunately, the armory engagement ended its brief two-performance run this past weekend.

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RÉPONS
Classical Music
Ensemble intercontemporain at the Park Avenue Armory
1 hour, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed