Steve Reich

NOTE: I am a librarian and I received a DRC of this book in MOBI format from Edelweiss+.

I first encountered Steve Reich as a Freshman in college and ended up doing a class presentation on his music alongside the music of the other "Minimalists" of the 20th Century. As the years have passed, my appreciation for his contributions to the musical arts have grown. However, this book instilled in me a new appreciation for Steve Reich himself. In this collection of 19 interviews with a varied class show more of creative minds, from conductor Michael Tilson Thomas to Radiohead-guitarist-turned-film-composer Jonny Greenwood, I found myself immersed in the musical milieu of the past 75 years. Reich gifts readers with commentary on his compositional processes, musical aesthetics, and the interconnectedness of music with visual and performing arts. By taking the time to sit down with other notable artists, Reich demonstrates his appreciation for the other creators who have had an impact on his life and work; evidence of collaboration runs through each chapter.
As I read, I was continually awed at what a privilege it is that this book exists, for it is a mine of musical wisdom straight from the source.

The conversations felt like they were taking place in the same room in which I sat (or, more likely, on the same Zoom call with me). When composer Julia Wolfe recounted working with Jaap van Zweden, I was taken down memory lane back to the first symphony concert I ever attended, which was conducted by van Zweden. The invisible barriers between the composers, performers, and listeners was instantly broken. This is just one example of the relatability of these conversations to the experiences of seasoned listeners, and when taken at the level of the entire book they serve to make "Classical music" accessible, relatable, and ultimately more human. show less

Bought in New York. Balinese gamelan music cross-dressing as Minimalism. Saw this performed live in downtown New York in the late 70s. All white shirts and black trousers. Having just finished a tour in white shirt and black trousers, I immediately recognized Reich’s huge talent and great taste. The music (and the gymnastics involved in executing Reich’s tag-team approach to shift work) floored me. Astonishing.

Come Out to Show Them
Review of the Harlequin Audio audiobook released simultaneously with the Hanover Square Press hardcover (March 8, 2022).

Conversations is a series of dialogues between the contemporary classical / experimental American composer Steve Reich (1936 -) and 19 of his most prominent collaborators and interpreters including his wife, video artist Beryl Korot (1945 -).

The audiobook edition does not use recordings of the actual real people but is instead performed by several show more narrators. There is nothing wrong with that except for the occasional performed laughter which is an attempt to capture the transcriptions from the original recordings as duplicated in the book. The forced chuckles don't always feel authentic. The several narrators otherwise do an excellent job, often mimicking the accents of some of the international performers (I don't think they recruited actual international equivalents of the various English, Scottish, Dutch etc. originals).

The topics of each conversation is centred around the specific Steve Reich works that the performer or collaborator worked on. The scope takes us from the early tape works such as It's Gonna Rain (1965) and Come Out (1966), through the works with very minimal elements such as Clapping Music (1972) and Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) up to the more complex breakout pieces such as Music for 18 Musicians (1974-76), Different Trains (1988) and the video operas The Cave (1993) and Three Tales (1998-2002). Recent works such as Reich/Richter (2019) and Traveller's Prayer (2020) are also discussed.

Conversations will probably be most appreciated by readers/listeners who have followed the 55+ year career of Reich from its very minimalist beginnings to the ultra complex ensemble works which require enormous concentration by virtuoso performers to execute. The results in performance can be quite exhilarating though, and a lot of that enthusiasm is communicated in these dialogues.

See photograph at https://exclaim.ca//images/Music_for_18_Musicians_-_CREDIT_-_Trevor_Haldenby_.jp...
Photograph of a performance of Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" at Massey Hall, Toronto on April 14, 2016 for Steve Reich 80. Photograph by Trevor Haldenby sourced from Exclaim. [Trivia Note: I attended this performance.]

Trivia and a Link
Biographical information on each of the conversationalists from the hardcover book is available as a pdf file via the publisher and Audible with the purchase of the audiobook.

The number of Steve Reich recordings is extensive and quite a number of live performances and films are available on YouTube. I particularly like the mesmering filmed performance of Dutch dancer / choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (also one of the conversations in the book) set to the music of Reich's Violin Phase (1967) which you can see on YouTube here. show less

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