Steve Reich's influence extends beyond classical composition into jazz, rock, pop, electronic music, and hip hop, with his characteristic shimmering patterns often heard in commercials and dance clubs.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Steve Reich aimed to return music to its essence by focusing on primary components like pulse, rhythm, repetition, and stable harmony, inviting listeners back into the music-making process.
Performer Biography
Ensemble Signal's co-founder and Music Director Brad Lubman has worked closely with Steve Reich for two decades, premiering his new works and conducting his pieces globally.
Cultural Impact
Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is considered by many to be the 'Rite of Spring' for generations coming of age in the last fifty years, signifying its profound cultural impact.
Recording & Production
This recording of Music for 18 Musicians was made at The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.
Compositional Technique
Music for 18 Musicians unfolds like a ritual, with opening and closing 'Pulses' from mallet instruments, voices, and bass clarinets setting the stage for a sequence of dances.
