Yesterday I had a unique tour of seven architectural treasures of NYC with music by Arvo Pärt. The architectural selections were made by a team from Snøhetta. Follow this link for more information on the artistic intentions and the weather balloons.
The first stop was the Magazine at Fort Jay on Governors Island with ethereal music based on a poem by Robert Burns. It was hot and humid outside, but cool in the stone tunnels. The music played simultaneously from speakers in stone cave-tunnels of different sizes and shapes and the acoustics were what you’d expect in an underground stone tunnel, but varied depending on where you were in the space.
We were not allowed to take photos inside the Woolworth building, but it was wonderful to sit on the grand staircase in the lobby of this 1908 Skyscraper and take in the beautiful space with wonderful gothic details and listen to “the full orchestral and choral settings of In Principio” with “dramatic brass sections relieved by a pulsating rhythm and stoic pace of the choir, representing the balancing act that is common in Lower Manhattan” (from the guide pamphlet)
The final site was the unfinished 46th floor of 7 World Trade Center. The raw unfinished space and 360 degree views were accompanied by two pianos playing Hymn to a Great City.
The recently opened World Trade Center Memorial (With entry pavilion by Snøhetta) and the multiple simultaneous construction sites adjacent were visible to the South.
Posted by sarah 
