Comments on: Happy Birthday, Steve

By: Daniel G.

Daniel G. — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 15:45:21 +0000

Follow up to my Brave New World post…

the playlist for this Sunday, and rebroadcast on Saturday Oct 14 at 9am (Eastern), is:

Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards

Electric Counterpoint

Eight Lines

Unfortunately it’s only an hour show, and I wish I could play more.
You can tune in via streaming audio at wuol.org.

Hope you can listen!!

By: Dan VanHassel

Dan VanHassel — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 13:39:10 +0000

But I kept discovering more and more passages that just seemed to be spinning wheels.

Um, isn’t that sort of the point?

By: David Salvage

David Salvage — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 22:48:26 +0000

I haven’t kept up so much with Steve, but — with the possible exception of Proverb — nothing on the City Life CD is worth much in my opinion. The Triple Quartet I found weak, and, while I haven’t heard all of Three Tales, what I have heard doesn’t suggest that Different Trains has been surprised. DT would have to be my vote. Tehillim is stunning.

Oh, while I’m killing time here: I spent three lectures last spring talking about M418M. I ended up slowly liking it less. The sound of the piece remains sensational, and many passages are simply ecstatic and gorgeous. But I kept discovering more and more passages that just seemed to be spinning wheels.

Time to put on the rice.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:21:31 +0000

Anybody see the premiere of Steve’s new Variations piece this week in NYC? I’m curious about it. The NYT reviewed the dance more than the music.

By: Mell Csicsila

Mell Csicsila — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:15:11 +0000

I have to tell you that I prefer Scott Johnson’s text pieces like “John Somebody” and “Convertible Debts” to Reich’s. While the concept behind “Different Trains” is noble, the execution seems flaccid to me.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 04:04:02 +0000

I am distinctly surprised at the number of recent works on this list. I have to admit, I start losing interest by the mid-80s. And my favorite work, by far, is the earliest.

Piano Phase is superb, and Pendulum Music, the early tape pieces, Violin Phase are excellent. I really do like Music for a Large Ensemble and Eight Lines, too.

Of the more recent works, Nagoya Marimbas is a gem.

I’ve found The Cave (which I saw live), Three Tales, and, for that matter, most of the text pieces since the ’80s (Different Trains, Tehellim, Proverb, etc., etc.) rather wimpy, harmonically, melodically, rhythmically, and most importantly, formally.

By: Eric Schwartz

Eric Schwartz — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:20:26 +0000

“Proverb” is a masterpiece, though there have been a number of very good pieces since then.

Happy birthday, Steve…

P.S. “The Four Sections” is pretty lame. The very underrated Reich orchestral masterpiece is “Music for Strings, Winds, and Keyboards”, one of the great orchestral works of the late 20th Century.

By: Mell Csicsila

Mell Csicsila — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 03:45:43 +0000

Nagoya Marimbas is a great ‘miniature’ for Reich.

My favorite work has to be either “Sextet” or “The Desert Music,” although Tehillim is strong.

I need to familiarize myself with his newer stuff, however.

(On the other hand, I might volunteer “The Four Sections” as my least favorite piece.)

By: Jerry Bowles

Jerry Bowles — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:50:41 +0000

The Cave. As good as it gets. And I have enduring affection for Different Trains.

By: Evan Johnson

Evan Johnson — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:44:06 +0000

meh... Tehillim. If that. I found Three Tales distinctly underwhelming. Maybe Four Organs. That's a fantastic piece.