Tarik O’Regan’s Masterpiece

It was in 1998: the first time I visited Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s 1958 Manhattan masterpiece, the Seagram Building. It’s a particular kind of edifice which photographs can’t quite capture, although there have been some extremely wonderful attempts, most notably by Ezra Stoller.

I finally understood what it meant to stand apart artistically, and I remember it was an extremely literal feeling. What makes the Seagram Building such a powerful modernist statement is that it is set back from Park Avenue by a very large plaza: the work is given space.

That’s something I’ve taken with me in my own compositional life ever since: context is everything. The simplest, most linear musical idea stated in a particular way can truly soar.

– Tarik O’Regan, Composer, Louder Than Words

To celebrate the Australian premiere of Quintett we’re inviting artists, arts commentators and luminaries from all walks of life to answer the question, ‘What masterpiece changed your life and how?’ Be it a dance work, theatre, film, book, painting, photograph, sculpture, or any other creative work.

We’d love you to send us your thoughts by commenting in the box below or sharing via your own social media channels – tag #SDCFrame and @SydneyDanceCo. Read more here. 

Image of Bernhard Knauer. Photo by Peter Greig.