Steve Reich spoke with WNYC's New Sounds and shared music from his season-long Carnegie Hall residency, which resumes with a performance of his Tehillim tonight and the upcoming Three Generations, a four-concert, Reich-curated exploration of the changing direction of concert music from the mid-20th century to the present. You can hear the episode and get concert details here.
Steve Reich, whose 80th birthday in October is being celebrated with events around the world throughout the 2016–2017 concert season, continues as the holder of Carnegie Hall's Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair, with several spring shows. His Carnegie Hall residency, which began with an all-Reich birthday celebration last fall and featured a Kronos Quartet concert in February, resumes: there is a performance of his Tehillim this Friday, and the upcoming Three Generations, a four-concert, Reich-curated exploration of the changing direction of concert music from the mid-20th century to the present. The composer spoke about the concerts, his music, and more with WNYC's John Schaefer and shared some recordings on New Sounds; you can hear the episode here:
Steve Reich's 1981 piece for voices and ensemble Tehillim (Hebrew for "psalms") will be performed by American Composers Orchestra in Zankel Hall this Friday night. The Daily Mail has written of the piece: "Harmonies and rhythms from jazz, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western tradition combine to form something truly special."
The Reich-curated Three Generations events begin with a concert pairing John Adams's Shaker Loops with Terry Riley's revolutionary In C performed by Ensemble Signal led by conductor Brad Lubman in Zankel Hall on Thursday, March 30, 2017. Begun in 1977 as a piece for string quartet, Shaker Loops evolved as Adams experimented with different minimalistic techniques. It was quickly modified for septet, then revised for orchestra in 1983, and became one of his most performed pieces. The evening also includes a conversation with Reich and Adams.
The next Three Generations concert features music by Reich along with Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass in Zankel Hall on Thursday, April 6, 2017. The performance features Reich's 1988 piece Different Trains, in which he evokes his American childhood during World War II while also addressing the Holocaust. The New York Times declared it "a work of such originality that 'breakthrough' seems the only possible description." Also on the program are Pärt's Für Alina and Fratres and Glass's String Quartet No. 5. There will also be a discussion with Reich and Nadia Sirota, host of Q2 Music's Meet the Composer podcast.
Three Generations continues with a program of works by a group of composers associated with the Bang on a Can collective—David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Michael Gordon—performed by Band on a Can All-Stars and JACK Quartet in Zankel Hall on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. There will also be a discussion among Reich and the three featured composers.
And finally, the Three Generations concerts conclude with the world premiere of Nico Muhly's No Uncertain Terms and works by Bryce Dessner performed by an ensemble that includes Muhly on piano in Zankel Hall on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. This event includes a conversation with Reich, Muhly, and Dessner.
For additional information on all of these events, visit carnegiehall.org.
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