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A Formidable Climax
Steve Reich at 75 -
Repetitions, Resonances and Renewals,
enjoyed by MALCOLM MILLER
There was a fever pitch of excitement at the climactic event of the remarkable Reverberations -- The Influence of Steve Reich at a capacity filled Barbican Centre, London, UK, on 8-9 May 2011, a weekend celebration of a 75th Birthday which featured several premieres as well as some of his 'classic' masterworks. The standing ovations by the capacity, and mainly youthful audience, attested to the continuing popularity of a creative artist who has redrawn the contemporary musical map with works that push at boundaries of medium, technique and style, bridging the worlds of classic, contemporary and pop.
Two Reich classics punctuated the evening: as overture, the iconic Clapping featured Steve Reich himself as performer with the New York based So Percussion group created an extra special aura, the most memorable moment of the evening. The shifting silences between phrases of diverging and converging rhythmic motives elicited rapt suspense, the rippling human hand cross-accents spreading across the hall and into the beyond. So Percussion also gave a virtuoso rendition of Drumming Part I in the Foyer, watched by hundreds from all sides and levels of the Barbican...
Copyright © 14 June 2011
Malcolm Miller,
London UK
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