Goldberg

Among his most beloved works, J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations is a towering keyboard masterpiece with a life of its own, with themes, harmonies, and contrapuntal strands of the musical sequence that await the creative imagination of both performer and listener to connect them. Igor Levit, who made his impressive North American recital debut at the Armory in 2014, interprets this classic composition in an installation created by seminal artist Marina Abramović.

Having redefined what performance art is for nearly 40 years, she now re-imagines the concert-going experience by employing her Abramović Method to explore the relationship between performer and observer, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind. Goldberg invites audiences to become a part of the music and experience the work in an entirely new context. The audience will prepare for Levit’s performance by dispossessing themselves of the trappings of everyday society by placing their personal belongings—including cell phones, watches, and other technological devices—inside a private locker. Upon entering the drill hall, the crowd will sit in silence for an extended period of time, after which Levit will perform all 30 variations to heighten the effect of the piece on their mind and body.

This concentrated durational work reflects upon music, time, space, emptiness, and luminosity, with the audience becoming a part of the work and in the process, connecting with themselves and with the present — the elusive moment of the here and now.