Steve Reich

Daniel Variations

About this Album

Nonesuch releases an album with two Steve Reich compositions—Daniel Variations and Variations for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings. Daniel Variations—a tribute to the murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl—is performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and conducted by Grant Gershon. Variation for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings was originally composed for use in a new piece by choreographer Akram Khan; the London Sinfonietta, led by Alan Pierson, performs it on this recording.

Reich explains: “Daniel Variations is in four movements using texts from the Biblical book of Daniel for the first and third movements and from the words of Daniel Pearl, the American Jewish reporter, kidnapped and murdered by Islamist extremists in Pakistan in 2002, for the second and fourth movements.” The texts/movements are:

1. I saw a dream. Images upon my bed & visions in my head frightened me (Daniel 4:2, or 4:5 in Christian translations)

2. My name is Daniel Pearl (I'm a Jewish American from Encino, California)

3. Let the dream fall back on the dreaded (Daniel 4:16, or 4:19 in Christian translations)

4. I sure hope Gabriel likes my music, when the day is done.

The piece is scored for two sopranos and two tenors with two B-flat clarinets, four vibes, bass and kick drums, tam-tam, four pianos, and string quartet. It was co-commissioned by the Barbican Centre in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Casa de Musica in Porto, Portugal, and in memory of Daniel Pearl by an anonymous donor in association with Meet The Composer and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which is dedicated to cross-cultural understanding and music. Daniel Variations was premiered at the Barbican in London in 2006 as part of Steve Reich’s 70th birthday celebration.

Variations for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings was premiered in Köln, also in 2006, with choreography by leading British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan—performed by Khan’s company. Reich says: “This piece is scored for four vibraphones, two pianos, and three string quartets. The silver sound of vibraphones and strings together that I first encountered in The Four Sections (1987) suggested itself as the main overall sound of this piece. Variations for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings is a more traditional set of variations than You Are (Variations) (2004), which preceded it.”