BAM Presents Pulitzer Prize Winner David Lang's New Work—Love Fail

BAM presents Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang’s new work—love fail Anonymous 4 performs timeless storytelling in an intimate staging marking Lang’s directorial debut BAM’s 150th anniversary celebration continues through Dec 2012 American Express is the BAM 30th Next Wave Festival sponsor love fail New York Premiere Composed and directed by David Lang Anonymous 4 Stories by Lydia Davis Words by David Lang, after Marie de France, Gottfried von Strassburg, Sir Thomas Malory, Beroul, Thomas of Britain, Beatrice de Dia, and Richard Wagner Set and video design by Jim Findlay Lighting design by Jennifer Tipton Costume design by Suzanne Bocanegra Additional design elements by Jeff Sugg BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) Dec 6—8 at 7:30pm Tickets start at $20 Artist Talk with David Lang Moderated by WNYC radio host John Schaefer Dec 7, post-show (free for same-day ticket holders) Brooklyn, NY/Nov 6, 2012—On the heels of his Composer of the Year honor from Musical America, BAM presents the latest work from Pulitzer Prize- winning composer David Lang. love fail marries evocative new music with timeless storytelling to tell a tale of love found yet unfulfilled, performed by the ravishing voices of legendary early music group Anonymous 4. Assembled from a stunning range of texts—including medieval courtly love narratives by Marie de France, Gottfried von Strassburg, Beroul, and Thomas of Britain, excerpts from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, writings by Lang, and short stories by MacArthur Fellow Lydia Davis—the words and music distill a single, universal tale about desire's discontent, made luminous by one of the premiere vocal ensembles of our time. On the creation of love fail, Lang said, “the first idea for this piece came out of the sound world of Anonymous 4. Their medieval-tinged, pure-toned, close-harmony singing seemed perfect for telling an intimate, emotional story of the way love might work in our lives, and the way it so often doesn't.” In his first-time as a director, Lang works with a range of collaborators to, as he notes, “heighten the music’s sense of intimacy.” “From Jennifer Tipton's warm, environmental glow, to Jim Findlay's dramatically elemental sets and startling videos, to Jody Elff's subtly evolving resonances, and Suzanne Bocanegra's elegant, modern costumes, we have been careful to add just enough theatricality to focus all attention on the singers and their story,” said Lang, “The theater emerges from the music—it becomes a physical manifestation of the interior life of the text.” Produced by Beth Morrison Projects. Commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2012 Next Wave Festival, The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, The John F. Kennedy Center Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, The Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, The Wake Forest University / Secrest Artists Series, and Hancher Performances at the University of Iowa. About the Artists David Lang, Composer of the Year (2013) of Musical America, is the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in music for the little match girl passion, commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the vocal ensemble Theater of Voices and directed by Paul Hillier. According to The New Yorker, “…Lang, once a postminimalist enfant terrible, has solidified his standing as an American master.” One of America’s most honored composers, his recent works include reason to believe, for Trio Mediaeval and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra; death speaks, for Shara Worden, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and Owen Pallett; writing on water for the London Sinfonietta, with libretto and visuals by English filmmaker Peter Greenaway; and the difficulty of crossing a field, a fully-staged opera for Kronos Quartet. Lang is co- founder of Bang on a Can with composers Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe; their BAM commissions have also included The New Yorkers (2003 Next Wave) and Lost Objects (2004 Next Wave). Renowned for its unearthly vocal blend and uncanny ensemble singing, Anonymous 4 combines historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition to create its magical sound. The ensemble has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, including appearances at Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival, and the Brisbane Biennial. The group’s 18 recordings on Harmonia Mundi USA include medieval, contemporary, and American music and have sold nearly two million copies worldwide. Works have been commissioned for the group by John Tavener, Steve Reich, and Richard Einhorn. love fail marks Anonymous 4’s BAM debut. For press information contact David Hsieh, 718.636.4129 x9 or [email protected] Credits American Express is the BAM 30th Next Wave Festival sponsor. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation. Chase is the BAM 150th anniversary sponsor. BAM 30th Next Wave Festival supporters: brigitte nyc; Con Edison; The Irene Diamond Fund; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Skirball Foundation; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; The Starr Foundation; Time Warner Inc.; Steve Tisch, Laurie Tisch, and Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch; The Wall Street Journal; The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust; The Winston Foundation, Inc. American Airlines is the Official airline of the BAM 30th Next Wave Festival. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 6pm. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal – Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org. ## ## ## .

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