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In “Jacob’s Ladder,” which premiered at the New York Philharmonic on Thursday, Reich’s signature chugging rhythms returned.
PARIS - FEBRUARY 6 - 11, 2024
UK - FEBRUARY 1 - 3, 2024
Following the success of his previous albums, "Steve Reich: Drumming" (2018) and "Colin Currie & Steve Reich Live at Fondation Louis Vuitton" (2019), Colin Currie is joined on this album by his closest musical colleagues and companions, the Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals, who recorded the work at London's Abbey Road Studios in 2022.
The String Quartets performed by the Mivos Quartet has been released by Deutsche Grammophon February 3, 2023 on CD and Vinyl. This is the first recording of all three quartets: WTC 9/11, Triple Quartet and Different Trains on one recording. Mivos has recorded all their own backing tracks for a completely new interpretation of all three quartets. All these quartets introduce formal innovations including pre-recorded speech samples into this historical medium.
At 86, this eminent composer takes a surprising but still searching direction in his music, while recent projects look back on six decades of work.
Traveler’s Prayer will receive its American Premiere at Carnegie Hall on November 1, 2022 performed by The Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals. The program will also include Tehillim and Music for 18 Musicians. Traveler’s Prayer will then be premiered on the West Coast at Cal Performances in Berkeley, two days later by the same musicians. On April 20 & 21, 2023 the piece will be premiered in Japan at Tokyo Opera City by the same performers.
The first recording off Runner (2016) snd Music for Ensemble & Orchestra (2018) was released by Nonesuch on September 30, 2022. A vinyl will be released December 2, 2022. Both pieces are performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Susanna Mälkki and were recorded live in Walt Disney Concert Hall. Runner is scored for a large ensemble of winds, percussion and strings. Music for Ensemble & Orchestra is an extension of the Baroque concerto grosso where there is more than one soloist. Here there are 20, all regular members of the orchestra. Both pieces are in five movements though the tempo never changes, only the note values in the constant pulse of the pianos forming an arch form: sixteenths, eighths, quarters, eighths, sixteenths.
Nonesuch will release the first recording of Reich/Richter performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by George Jackson. A vinyl LP is scheduled for August. The music was first written for a film by visual artist Gerhard Richer with film maker Corinna Belz. The recording was made live in Paris at the Philharmonie and the combination of superb musicians in an exceptionally fine acoustic has created an extraordinary result.
A surprising, enlightening series of conversations that shed new light on the music and career of “our greatest living composer” (New York Times).
Steve Reich is a living legend in the world of contemporary classical music. As a leader of the minimalist movement in the 1960s, his works have become central to the musical landscape worldwide, influencing generations of younger musicians, choreographers and visual artists. He has explored non-Western music and American vernacular music from jazz to rock, as well as groundbreaking music and video pieces. He toured the world with his own ensemble and his compositions are performed internationally by major orchestras and ensembles.
Renowned percussion groups NEXUS and So Percussion have joined forces to launch DRUMMINGat50.com
Steve Reich’s latest work Reich/Richter premiered on April 6 as part of one of the biggest cultural events in New York City this spring: the opening of The Shed. Reich wrote the work for a new film by Gerhard Richter and Corinna Belz, based on Richter’s Patterns series.
Steve Reich’s latest work for large ensemble, Reich/Richter, receives its world premiere on April 6, with performances through June 2, as part of opening commissions that launch The Shed, New York City’s new arts center located on Manhattan’s west side. The new work was composed for a moving picture by celebrated German painter Gerhard Richter and filmmaker Corinna Belz, based on Richter’s 2012 Patterns book. Reich/Richter is performed by Reich champions Ensemble Signal and the International Contemporary Ensemble, in alternation, during this nine-week run at the Shed.
Steve Reich discusses composing Reich/Richter, a new 37-minute work for large ensemble, for a film by renowned painter Gerhard Richter, created in collaboration with filmmaker Corinna Belz. Reich/Richter debuts on April 6 at The Shed, New York City’s newest arts space, performed live by Ensemble Signal and the International Contemporary Ensemble through June 2.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic recently announced that it will give the world premiere of Steve Reich’s Music for Ensemble and Orchestra on November 1–4, 2018, as part of the orchestra’s centennial season programming. The premiere will be conducted by Susanna Mälkki.
Colin Currie launches his newly created record label, Colin Currie Records, with a recording of Steve Reich’s Drumming, performed by the Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals. The album releases on March 9, 2018. The new label kicks off its first release with a concert at Saffron Hall on March 10 in an all-Reich program, including a full performance of Drumming.
Nonesuch releases Steve Reich’s Pulse / Quartet on February 2, 2018; the album is also available on vinyl LP on March 30. The album features two recent works by Reich: Pulse (2015) for large ensemble, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and Quartet (2013) for two pianos and two vibraphones, performed by the Colin Currie Group.
On February 12, 2017, Third Coast Percussion’s highly acclaimed album of Steve Reich percussion works received the 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance. The album, simply titled Steve Reich, features the works Mallet Quartet, Sextet, Nagoya Marimbas, and Music for Pieces of Wood. Third Coast Percussion also performed music from the album live at the awards ceremony.
Multiple record labels and musicians have marked Reich’s 80th birthday year with an outpouring of new releases, as well as re-issues of landmark recordings from the composer’s prolific career.
Two new works by Steve Reich—Pulse and Runner—have received world premieres in New York and London during his 80th birthday season.
During the 2016–2017 season, institutions around the globe celebrate Steve Reich’s 80th birthday (October 3), with over 400 performances taking place in more than 20 countries this year. Major “Reich at 80” series and festivals—presented by Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Symphony, The Barbican in London, Philharmonie de Paris, Tokyo Opera City, Cologne Philharmonie, Soundstreams / Massey Hall in Toronto, and more—feature extensive retrospectives of his major works.
In June 2016, Northwestern University's Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music announced that it is awarding Steve Reich its 2016 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition. Established in 2004, the Nemmers Prize honors classical music composers of outstanding achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition.
Steve Reich was awarded an honorary doctorate from London's Royal College of Music at the venerable institution's Annual Awards ceremony on March 10, 2016. Reich, along with conductor Sir Roger Norrington and others, were among several internationally renowned musicians being honored by the RCM. Presenting the award was the College's President, His Royal Highness Prince Charles.
Steve Reich has been selected as the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair for Carnegie Hall's 2016–17 season. The Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair is a position of distinction at Carnegie Hall. It is a testament to an artist's accomplishments and influence, and illuminates the oeuvre of the most renowned living composers.
In January 2015, Steve Reich and Stephen Sondheim sat down together on stage for the first time in their long careers to discuss the influence of their works and appreciation for each other’s music. The event, which was moderated by WNYC’s John Schaefer, took place at the Appel Room of Lincoln Center in New York City.
By the time the members of this impressive percussion ensemble joined forces in 2005, the composer Steve Reich was already a grandfather figure in the American new-music scene. So the percussionist Robert Dillon writes in the liner notes to this beguiling CD, his group's responsibility is "not to,document this repertoire - it no longer needs basic preservation - but rather to put our stamp on it."
New York City Ballet’s Fall 2015 Gala was an evening of contemporary dance and contemporary music. Always one of the most anticipated events of New York City’s culture scene, this year’s gala went above and beyond in all manner of choreography, costumes, and music. The performance included the world premiere of choreographer and dancer Justin Peck’s New Blood, set to Steve Reich’s Variations for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings.
In July 2015, Steve Reich’s Clapping Music was released on the on the iTunes App Store. Developed by Touchpress, the London Sinfonietta, and Queen Mary University of London, Steve Reich’s Clapping Music brings Reich’s seminal work, Clapping Music, to a digital platform, offering an interactive experience in learning and understanding rhythmic patterns.
“Even if more recordings are released next year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this work, Steve Reich’s instant classic, none will likely be more sensational than this. Taped at Empac in Troy, N.Y., in 2011, the augmented players of the Ensemble Signal joyously meld rhythmic precision and transparency of sound with a startling ability to shade colors. It’s like hearing a ritual unfold and made radical once more.” —New York Times
The original 1998 Nonesuch recording of Music for 18 Musicians, which was released on CD and earned a Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance, has been reissued for a limited run of 4,000 copies on two 180-gram vinyl LPs.
In March 2015, Steve Reich was a guest speaker at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. The talk included information about the conception and impetus for works such as WTC 9/11 and Different Trains. A discussion with Dean Mohsen Mostafavi and composer Hans Tutschku followed, centering around Reich’s musical output.
Nonesuch releases Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Steve Reich’s album Radio Rewrite on September 30, 2014. Co-commissioned for and recorded by Alarm Will Sound, the title piece references two songs by the English band Radiohead. Alan Pierson conducts this premiere recording of Radio Rewrite, which was composed in 2012.
In September 2014, Steve Reich was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Music from the Venice Biennale, an honor bestowed upon composers who have helped shape the musical landscape throughout their careers.
In June 2014, Steve Reich received the BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge Award. Based in Madrid, the BBVA Foundation offers awards aiming to promote scientific research and artistic creation, “in the conviction that science, culture and knowledge in its broadest sense hold the key to a better future for people.”
A few highlights of the major performances and tours of the music of Steve Reich in 2014.
A few highlights of the major performances and tours of the music of Steve Reich in 2013.
In May 2012, Steve Reich was awarded the Gold Medal in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his career achievements
Reviews of WTC 9/11 performed by the Kronos Quartet released by Nonesuch in September 2011.
Three new CDs released - Different Trains, The Desert Music/Three Movements, Kuniko Plays Reich.
A new DVD of Steve Reich with excerpts of live performances of Music for 18 Musicians, Tehillim, Different Trains, Proverb,Drumming-Part One, Clapping Music, It's Gonna Rain, Piano Phase, Pendulum Music, Sextet and the World Premiere of 2x5 performed around the world in Tokyo, Rome, New York, Manchester and Normandy. Euroarts 3058128
Double Sextet performed by Eighth Blackbird 2x5 performed by Bang on a Can released by Nonesuch in September 2010 on best of 2010 lists.
On April 20, 2009 the Pulitzer Board announced that Steve Reich won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 2007 piece, Double Sextet. This piece was commissioned by Eighth Blackbird, premiered by them in 2008 in many cities in America and abroad. It will be recorded by them for Nonesuch records later this year. The score is available from Boosey & Hawkes.
The Paul Sacher Foundation has entered into an agreement with the American composer Steve Reich (b. 1936) to take over his musical archive. The working papers of this internationally renowned artist will shortly be made accessible to scholars at the Foundation's premises in Basel.
Daniel Variations (2006) combines text by Daniel Pearl, the American Jewish reporter and violinist murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in Karachi in 2002 together with text from the Biblical book of Daniel. This premiere recording of Daniel Variations is performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Grant Gershon. This new Nonesuch CD also includes the first recording of Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings (2005) performed by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Alan Pierson.
On May 21, 2007 Steve Reich was awarded The Polar Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The prize was presented by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Nonesuch records has released its second boxed set of music by Steve Reich entitled 'Phases - A Nonesuch Retrospective', and sold at a special reduced price. Included in the 5 CD box are a large number of Steve Reich's best know works.
On October 18, 2006 Steve Reich was awarded the Praemium Imperiale for his contribution to the arts. The award was presented by Prince Hitachi at the Meiji Hall in Tokyo . The Praemium Imperiale awards are given annually by the Japan Art Association in five fields not covered by the Nobel Prizes.
Celebrations of Steve Reich’s 70th birthday on 3 October 2006 are already underway, with surveys of his output around the world.
Major Festival of Steve Reich@70 at Barbican Centre, London September 28-October 8, 2006.
Steve Rich's birthday is marked by a unique collaboration among Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Celebration includes two U.S. premiers and one NY premiere, anchoring a year of international festivities.
You Are (Variations) named on Best of 2005 Classical CD lists by New York Times, Los Angles Times, Washington Post, Amazon.com and others
Named on Best of 2005 Classical CDs by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, New York Newsday, BBC Radio 3 CD Review, San Jose Mercury News and Amazon,com, 'You Are (Variations)' recorded by the Los Angeles Master chorale conducted by Grant Gershon for Nonesuch has also received exceptionally positive international press and web coverage.
''You Are (Variations)' (2004), performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Grant Gershon and 'Cello Counterpoint' (2003) performed by Maya Beiser have been released by Nonesuch Records.
The annual MacDowell Colony Arts Award, which in past years has been awarded to Aaron Copland, Willem deKooning, Jasper Johns and many other great artists, was presented to Steve Reich for 'his outstanding contribution to music' on August 14, 2005 at the Colony in Peterborough, NH.
Includes live and unedited performances of 'Six Pianos', 'Pendulum Music', 'Violin Phase', 'Music for Pieces of Wood' and 'Drumming-Part IV'. These are not studio recordings. There is background traffic noise on 'Violin Phase' and 'Music for Pieces of Wood', and yet there is the real musical energy of intense young performers including the composer. Released by Orange Mountain Music 0018.
Writings on Music documents the creative journey of this thoughtful, groundbreaking composer. These 64 short pieces include Reich's 1968 essay "Music as a Gradual Process," widely considered one of the most influential pieces of music theory in the second half of the 20th century. Subsequent essays, articles, and interviews treat Reich's early work with tape and phase shifting, showing its development into more recent work with speech melody and instrumental music.
Three Tales is being broadcast on the IFC channel starting Monday January 12th at 12:45 pm (Eastern) and again the same day at 11:30pm (Eastern). It will be re-broadcast on IFC throughout the months of January and February and possibly into March. Consult your channel guide for further info.
A two disk set containing both a DVD and a CD of the video opera ‘Three Tales’ by composer Steve Reich and video artist Beryl Korot was released in August 2003 by Nonesuch Records in the USA. and Holland. Release for the rest of Europe except France is September, the UK and Japan in October and France in November.
BMG records has just released, in October 2002, new recordings of City Life, Eight Lines, New York Counterpoint and Violin Phase, all performed by the famous Frankfurt based Ensemble Modern. City Life is conducted by Peter Rundel while Bradley Lubman conducts Eight Lines. Clarinetist Roland Diry performs New York Counterpoint. Violin Phase is performed by Jagdish Mistry.
Two Reich masterpieces, definitively recorded, featuring the only recording of the newly revised version of The Desert Music, coupled with a crystalline, high-energy Tehillim. And introducing a brilliant young American conductor, Alan Pierson, who has molded an energetic, tight, optimistic, rhythmic, and memorable sound out of these monumental works.
Writings on Music documents the creative journey of this thoughtful, groundbreaking composer. These 64 short pieces include Reich's 1968 essay "Music as a Gradual Process," widely considered one of the most influential pieces of music theory in the second half of the 20th century. Subsequent essays, articles, and interviews treat Reich's early work with tape and phase shifting, showing its development into more recent work with speech melody and instrumental music.
"Arresting, complex and provocative ... the effect is haunting ..." The New York Times, on Kronos Quartet's debut performance of Triple Quartet. Nonesuch Records is pleased to announce the release of the World Premiere Recording of Steve Reich's Triple Quartet performed by Kronos Quartet, who commissioned the work and in whose honor it has been written.
Drumming played live by the Ictus Ensemble from Brussels all performances in the Gillman Opera House.
