Steve Reich
 

There were a few Reich related threads but I just randomly decided to bump this one.

I've been familiar with his works for years... drumming, music for 18 musicians, and some of his early phasing experiments.. but I just recently decided to REALLY explore this guy's work. And, understatement, this guy is absolutely amazing.

That's all.

18 Musicians is AMAZING but there's very little else of merit I've heard.



Obviously, you can't go wrong with Ligeti, but this is particularly great. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this album entirely highlights what I don't like about Reich - he neither makes the African ideas his own (as Ligeti does) nor does he 'do' Africa authentically.

I have a few Mbira records that are at least twice as amazing as anything Reich has done. Interestingly, I find Penguin Café Orchestra much more agreeable than Reich, because there's nothing that's trying to be clever about them.

As I've probably been enthusiastic about Reich in the past on this forum, I should say that I was completely sold on Reich for a while, but gradually came to hear more and more of the stuff he was pinching from and was less impressed with Reich.

Whatever the weather, it's nice to see a composer other than Branca/ Chatham mentioned here.

Glice, somehow I knew you'd be the first to answer this thread. I'll check out Ligeti, thank you!

You haven't checked out Ligeti? For fuck's sake man. Clocks and Cloud, from the Ligeti project III, do it now.

The Cave and Three Tales are fine works Glice, if you haven't heard them check them out...

agree

I haven't heard Three Tales but I thought the Cave was simply hideous. Not as bad as the Glass/ Ginsberg record (which officially makes me hate minimalism) but just profoundly un-interesting. You can call me a purist, but opera simply has to be done by completely ridiculous personalities, it's too absurd a format for reasonable people. Glass' Einstein is an act of madness, but the Cave was far too reasonable.

Obviously, it's a shame to compare Glass and Reich, and there's obviously a world of differences in their music, but I feel they both come from a very similar cultural space, an attempt to consolidate repetitious music against the inherited indeterminacy of the New York school (or the post-Cageian axis, if you will).

STEVE REICH - A Portrait by Neetelbaers

I am not a fan of Glass at all, I mixed Einstein on the Beach Part i-iv a few years back and it drove me insane, particularly 'cos it was an opera/modern dance thing and i utterly despise the choreographer. Anyhow I did mix the shit out of it but the music itself kinda shits me. I'm not sure if you are calling the Cave opera or not, if you are I find that kinda strange as we may have differing opinions on what opera is, however you are more knowedgable about classical and modern classical than me. The only Glass piece I really like is The Thin Blue Line OST.

Well, it's just as likely that I'm being a puritan about 'musical theatre'. For me, opera is such a preposterous form (brilliantly preposterous, but preposterous nonetheless) that it can only be in German, or Italian at a push (Latin also acceptable). I suppose a 'multimedia event' like the cave might nudge at the boundaries of what is and isn't opera, but to the 'classical' establishment, there's not much to call musical theatre except opera. Y'know?

I also prefer my opera in german or italian, opera sung in english always sounds weird like it is andrew lloyd webber trying to write opera instead of music theatre. and having worked on some big classics like the ring cycle i find it hard not to be purist about what is and isn't opera. although saying that i do find my self struggling with the operas of kurt weill about wether they or aren't opera, like seven deadly sins and threepenny opera.

I entirely failed to get tickets for the Ring in London. I'm a bit upset about it. But not the £900 tickets that are left upset.

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Knock, Knock knock knock? Who's who's there there?
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KnockKnock knockknock? Who'swho's therethere?
KnocKnock knocknock? Who'who's therthere?
KnoKnock knoknock? Whowho's thethere?
Knknock knknock? Whwho's ththere?
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Steve Reich

very similar to my situation with the zutons

You do speak some crap. But you know that.

So it's ok.