(Phaedra Ensemble at Kings Place) Steve Reich’s ninetieth anniversary celebrations continued apace this month with two concerts at London’s Kings Place. Known for its creative buzz, lively atmosphere, and receptive audiences, the venue is an ideal setting for contemporary chamber music. Reich’s three major quartets were heard there within the space of a week: the Solem Quartet’s powerful performance of Different Trains on March 14th (see my review in The Strad) was followed on March 20th by equally compelling interpretations of WTC 9/11 and Triple Quartet by the dynamic Phaedra Ensemble. Both concerts formed part of Kings Place’s imaginatively curated ‘Memory Unwrapped’ series. Subtitled ‘slow change’, Phaedra

(Cover photography by Aaron Eidman of an artwork by Nina Blass) (Photo: Boris Seewald) In Berlin Calling: A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall, and the Birth of the New Berlin (The New Press, 2017)—Paul Hockenos’ illuminating account of the city’s music scene before, during, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989—he retells how its dynamic countercultural scene became a sanctuary for “off-grid experiments” by radical interventionist contrarians: neo-dadaists and situationists, punk rockers and producers of industrial techno, graffiti artists and queer activists. It is not without reason that famous rock and art pop stars such as David

(photo credit: Peter Serling) TRIGGER WARNING: This review contains references to suicide and depression, which some readers may find distressing. Advice on suicide and mental health-related support can be found on the following websites: International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP), World Health Organization (WHO), and Find a Helpline. Alternatively, text 988 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s chat to connect with a trained crisis counsellor. There’s a photograph of composer David Lang that in certain ways encapsulates his music. Occasionally popping up as a profile picture on various websites and streaming services, Lang is shown close-up, freeze-framed by a silent

To mark the enduring impact and legacy of Steve Reich’s music on the music of our time in this his ninetieth anniversary year, my plan is to attend and review one concert every month featuring one or more of the great American’s compositions. And what better place to start this celebratory journey of discovery than a performance of Reich’s landmark Music for 18 Musicians at Kölner Philharmonie featuring the brilliant Ensemble Modern & Synergy Vocals. There are probably only a handful of works I’d go to the end of the world to hear performed live, and Music for 18 Musicians is one of

Zeelie Brown, the apocalypse is not the end but the unveiling (NWAM202) Essvus, What Ails You (NWAM201) Ruby Colley & EXAUDI, Hello Halo (NWAM200) Travis Laplante & JACK Quartet, String Quartets (NWAM199) Based on the evidence provided by this exciting quartet of recent releases, the sails on New Amsterdam Records’ windmill rotate with ever-increasing productivity, invention and creativity these days. The two most recent recordings, the apocalypse is not the end but the unveiling by cellist and multimedia artist Zeelie Brown and What Ails You by Essvus, deal directly with social, political, and personal issues. Part of NewAm’s new series of

Can art be created during a time of war and conflict? Is it even required when a country is besieged by bombs, ballistic missiles and drone attacks, its borders pushed back by the constant assaults of a belligerent invading army? Should we make time for theatre, dance, music, and song when a far more real, deadly drama is unfolding in a theatre of war on one’s doorstep? These questions are never far from the people of Ukraine. With the country locked in a bloody battle with Russia—three months shy of its grim four-year anniversary—it would be easy for Ukrainians to

Wesoła Immersive New Media Art Center, Krakow, November 22, 2025 One cannot draw too many conclusions from the evidence of one concert, of course, but from the rich wealth and diverse array of live electronics, multimedia, sound design and improvisation presented at Wesoła Immersive New Media Art Center in Krakow on November 22, 2025, it appears that the Polish new music scene is undergoing something of a creative resurgence. In the presence of a packed and enthusiastic audience, Teresa Virginia Salis’s Natural Paths, for alto flute, electronics and video, took the listener out of the performance space and deep into