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- Thursday, May 3, 2012
Steve Reich Sydney Opera House Residency Concludes with Concert of "Brilliant Edginess" (Sydney Morning Herald, Four Stars)
Steve Reich made a rare visit to Australia for a residency at the Sydney Opera House that culminated in an all-Reich concert Sunday night. His Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet was performed "with brilliant edginess" by eighth blackbird, says the Sydney Morning Herald in a four-star review, and with "tight-knit playing and incisive attack," says The Australian. Of Reich's seminal Music for 18 Musicians, the latter paper writes: "Performed by a collective of Australia's finest contemporary music performers, this compelling account captured its exuberance while simultaneously revealing its inventive instrumental colours." On Monday, Reich participated in a conversation and concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
- Thursday, April 26, 2012
Steve Reich Heads to Australia for Inaugural Sydney Opera House Residency, Melbourne Recital Centre Event
Steve Reich makes a rare visit to Australia for the launch of a new series at the Sydney Opera House called The Composers. The House will stage The Composers: Steve Reich in Residence, a program that will celebrate Reich's work through a number of events, culminating in a Sunday night performance of some of the highlights of his musical repertoire by Synergy Percussion, eighth blackbird, and others. On Monday, Reich heads down to Melbourne for a conversation and concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre with eighth blackbird and members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
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.”Credits
MUSICIANS
Daniel Variations
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Grant Gershon, conductor
Tania Batson, Karen Hogle Brown, Claire Fedoruk, Rachelle Fox, Marie Hodgson, Emily Lin, sopranos
Pablo Corá, Jody Golightly, Shawn Kirchner, Michael Lichtenauer, Kevin St. Clair, George Sterne, tenors
Gary Bovyer, Michael Grego, clarinet
Gloria Cheng, Vicki Ray, Bryan Pezzone, Lisa Edwards, pianos
Wade Culbreath, Theresa Dimond, Michael Englander, John Magnussen, Thomas Raney, Mark Zimoski, percussion
Ralph Morrison, Tereza Stanislav, violins
Eugene Moye, cello
Kazi Pitelka, viola
Steve Scharf, contractor
Bob Dolan, music librarian
Variations for Vibes, Pianos, & Strings
London Sinfonietta
Alan Pierson, conductor
Quartet 1: David Alberman, Jonathan Morton, violins; Paul Silverthorne, viola; Timothy Gill, cello
Quartet 2: Joan Atherton, Simon Smith, violins; Jane Atkins viola; Lionel Handy cello
Quartet 3: Miranda Fulleylove, Elizabeth Wexler, violins; James Boyd, viola; Sally Pendlebury, cello
John Constable, Shelagh Sutherland, pianos
David Hockings, Owen Gunnell, Sam Walton, Alex Neal, vibes
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Judith Sherman
Daniel Variations
Recorded February 27 & 28, 2007, at Studio A, Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA
Engineered by John Kilgore
Mixed by John Kilgore, Judith Sherman, and Steve Reich at John Kilgore Sound, NYC
Second Engineer: Charles Paakkari
Studio Assistance: Bruce Monical and Paul Smith
Variations for Vibes, Pianos, & Strings
Recorded December 18 & 19, 2006, at AIR Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London, England
Engineered by John Kilgore
Second Engineer: Chris Barrett
Mixed by John Kilgore, Judith Sherman, and Steve Reich at John Kilgore Sound, NYC
Mastered by Robert C. Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, ME
Design by Barbara DeWilde
Cover photograph by Fogstock/Jupiter Images
Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz
Also From Steve Reich
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WTC 9/11 / Mallet Quartet / Dance Patterns
September 20, 2011 -
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