Interesting. Very interesting.
I'm not really a contemporary music fan, but I kind of vaguely sort of know what I like.
I was introduced to the music of Steve Reich by my percussion teacher over twenty years ago, and I just like it. Can't explain why. Why should I be able to anyway, when music transcends words.
Three pieces, Eight Lines, Tehillim and the UK Premiere of You Are (Variations), performed by Ensemble Modern and Synergy Vocals, conducted by Stefan Asbury.
Steve Reich's music is driven by rhythm, unrelenting repeating rhythm. I overheard someone say that melody doesn't matter to him, I think that's crap actually, but whilst many composers use rhythm to add texture and colour to melody, Reich lets the melody emerge from the rhythm. Percussion is an important component, but not so that it dominates.
It's relentless, it's repeating, it's mesmerising, and somehow, this cacophonoy melds together to become a coherent whole. I adored the Eight Lines; about five minutes into Tehillim, I mentally composed my blog post - 'there's nothing to draw me into this and I don't think I want to be drawn'. Twenty five minutes later conductor and performers were receiving the enthusiastic applause of the audience, myself included. Time had passed in an instant as I was utterly absorbed in the compelling driving unrelenting repeating rhythms and their organically created melodies.
You are (Variations) was even better!
He's 70 next year, and there will be a major retrospective of his work at the Barbican, as well as in New York and Los Angeles. I am much looking forward to that already. EC2, that is, not NY or LA.
And, in a genuine star spot moment I was actually, like, four feet away from him. At the end of the interval he ascended the stairs. I was third seat in, and the man on the aisle seat behind me grabbed his hand to shake it and I was "Oh. My. God. I'm sitting practically next to Steve Reich. Oh. My. God."
I think tomorrow night's Beethoven's 6&7 will be a somewhat different experience.
