Armory to Stage North American Premiere of DE MATERIE

Director Heiner Goebbels' dreamlike interpretation of Louis Andriessen's magnum opus De Materie will make its North American stage premiere this March in the Armory's soaring Wade Thompson Drill Hall. The new production interprets Andriessen's four-part masterwork through a series of visually dramatic non-narrative tableaus that call upon key milestones in cultural innovation. Woven together, these seemingly disparate moments explore the relationship between worldly matter and spirit. Goebbels' production, which received its world premiere at the Ruhrtriennale in 2014, marks the first time this work has been staged in more than 25 years.

At once a large-scale musical and philosophical essay, De Materie unfolds in four distinct chapters: first exploring the theories of 17th-century Dutch philosopher, scientist, and early modern atomist Gorlaeus; then, the verse of the 13th-century poet Hadewych, whose work explores religion and erotic visions; the third chapter explores the visual abstraction of the De Stijl artistic movement of the early 20th century and Piet Mondrian's embrace of this movement and his admiration for American jazz; and, finally, the trailblazing work of physicist Madame Curie, utilizing a combination of her Nobel Prize acceptance speech and excerpts from a personal diary kept following the death of her husband.

Andriessen's four-part symphonic score offers a sonically varied journey through music history-from the early Renaissance, to the jazz-infused roaring 20s, to contemporary music of today. The work will be performed by an expanded International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) under the direction of Peter Rundel, alongside the ChorWerk Ruhr, soloists, a cast of more than 30 actors and dancers, and a flock of one hundred sheep.

"De Materie is monumental within the contemporary music canon, and Heiner Goebbels' interpretation is a groundbreaking work of theatrical and visual art," said Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory. "This expansive and visually thrilling production requires a non-traditional setting in order to be fully realized, and our vast drill hall enables us to present Goebbels' dynamic vision of this rarely staged work."

"This highly imaginative collaboration asks us to appreciate the inherent connections between all manner of innovation throughout society-from the discovery of radioactivity to the creation of a work of art," said Pierre Audi, Artistic Director of Park Avenue Armory. "This vision is one that we embrace at the Armory, bringing together pioneers from a wide range of disciplines with the goal of continuously pushing the boundaries of individual practice. We are so pleased to present this North American stage premiere and engage our audiences with this thought-provoking work."

A slate of related programming will help illuminate the artistic process from a variety of viewpoints, and delve more deeply into many of the themes addressed within De Materie. The Armory's new Artists Studio series in the newly revitalized Veterans Room will feature a performance by Louis Andriessen and jazz pianist Jason Moran exploring the impact of improvisation throughout Andriessen's practice. Artistic Director Pierre Audi will take part in a discussion with Goebbels, Rundel, and Andriessen about the creation of the groundbreaking production, and WNYC's John Schaefer will lead two pre-performance discussions engaging musicians and scholars from a variety of backgrounds in discussion of themes found throughout the work.

Park Avenue Armory's 2016 spring-fall lineup includes an ambitious schedule of classical and contemporary music engagements including: Circle Map, two evenings of composer Kaija Saariaho's immersive music performed by the New York Philharmonic and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; the expansion of the Armory's acclaimed recital series featuring Grammy Award-winning Roomful of Teeth in a performance exploring vocal music of the 21st century, the JACK Quartet performing the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds' FLiGHT, among others; and the launch of the Armory's new performance series, the Artists Studio. Held within the newly revitalized Veterans Room, the series takes inspiration from the imaginative collaboration and innovation of the original designers who conceived the room. Throughout 2016, the Artists Studio will feature jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran in a performance of works for solo piano; composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros and poet Ione in a multi-phase deep-listening seminar and interactive performance; visual artist Camille Norment and composer Craig Taborn in a collaboration exploring the perception of sound through installation, sculpture, and performance; among others.