Adam Tendler

About this event

As part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Creation Festival, composer William Basinski brings the American premiere of his deeply introspective "lamentation," The Garden of Brokenness, to Arrow Street Arts on the 20th anniversary of its recorded release, following last season's world premiere at the Venice Biennale. Widely acclaimed for his epic, groundbreaking and haunting works for tape and electronics — including the seminal The Disintegration Loops—Basinski's works explore themes of loss, memory, time and transcendence through a meditative sonic language. The Garden of Brokenness reflects on humanity’s separation from the divine—an evocation of the lost garden and a longing for what we were created to be. Originally an electronic work using piano tape loops that Basinski recorded in 1979, this rare, live realization of The Garden of Brokenness will be performed by Basinski himself, joined by longtime collaborators pianist Adam Tendler and light and space designer A.J. Weissbard, an ensemble of BSO percussionists, and pianists to be announced — transforming Arrow Street Arts into a resonant atmosphere, a "garden" itself, enveloping the audience in the music’s world of space, decay, and quiet renewal. The result is an unforgettable and immersive experience that aligns with The Creation Festival’s exploration of creation, fragility, and the possibility of restoration.