Susan Philipsz: Prelude in the Form of a Passacaglia: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Transforming the Blue Ribbon Garden at the Walt Disney Concert Hall into an enchanted parcours of abstract tones and sounds, Susan Philipsz extends and expands Hanns Eisler’s twelve-tone composition for Walter Ruttman’s seminal animated film Opus III, Prelude in form of a Passacaglia (1926), into space. Philipsz recorded each tone of the piece separately on violin. As the tones emanate from different places in the garden and bounce off the reflective curved surfaces of the architecture, they merge with other tones in new and surprising configurations.

Prelude in the Form of a Passacaglia (2020) was curated by Stephanie Barron and Nana Demand as part of Weimar Variations, which is presented by The LA Phil throughout the month of February. 

 

Philipsz’s installation in the Blue Ribbon Garden at the Walt Disney Concert Hall can be visited February 7-16, M-F 9am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The garden is a public park that can be accessed by stairs from the street at 2nd and Grand and 1st and Hope (where there is also an elevator). The installation will also be active immediately prior to concerts.