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"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
I think to really appreciate Music for 18 Musicians you need to hear it live at least once. I heard it performed by Reich's own performing group decades ago in Sanders Theater which is part of Harvard College. It has astonishingly good acoustics with a huge dome ceiling and the seats in a 180 arc are on graduated risers. I sat in the front of the balcony. It was truly one of the most wonderful concerts I have heard. The sound reverberated throughout the hall so that as the various rhythms intertwined and passed subtly in phase and out of phase and back in phase again the affect was mesmerizing and truly wonderful. I really believe that the concert hall was perfect for this composition and allowed all the subtlety of the composition to be revealed. The hall was packed, standing room only, and when the piece finished the audience sat in a profound reverie until the last notes faded into blackness and the spell was broken. Suddenly the hall reverberated with cheers, applause and a standing ovation. It was truly a magical experience.
Edits: 12/14/16
Thank you for your comments. You are absolutely correct that one really must hear this performance live in a suitable venue. I was fortunate this past April to attend a live performance given by PHILLIP O'BANION and the Temple University Percussion Ensemble at Temple University in Philly.
For me, this performance/experience was transcendent. Words are inadequate to explain my heightened sense of being at the end of the concert. I think I smiled more broadly that evening and the next week and a half than I can remember of most of my concert experiences. It was a rare and special experience.
I continue to enjoy the vinyl LP but eagerly look forward to another opportunity to attend and share a live show with as many of my friends as possible.
Thanks again.
Still spinnin'...
;^)
that hearing this piece 'live' means hearing it miked and mixed electronically. I heard 18 Musicians twice - once directed (and mixed) by Reich himself. And once performed by the University of Tennessee music department where, unfortunately, the beautiful female vocals did not make it into the mix and could not be heard. Probably the best video performance I've seen/heard is at the link provided below. This is the Steve Reich Ensemble, and the visuals add to the aural excitement.I must add, too, that I find audio-only recordings of 18 Musicians to be rather boring. It's like trying to imagine a ballet from listening to the score ...
Edits: 12/16/16 12/17/16
I've heard it live twice. Once back in my student days (a long time ago) at Stony Brook, and once about a decade ago at the old New World Symphony space on Lincoln Rd in Miami Beach. It was impressive and highly pleasurable both times.
I also own the original recording that I listen to very occasionally but although enjoyable it doesn't have nearly the same impact.
After watching it last night my first thought was I would have turned it off without the visual.
I managed to watch the whole thing. Actually it wasn't that bad.
When the maracas came in I almost came out of my chair!
Oooooh, jdaniel, all I can say is, game on. Your comment did not escape my notice, I've just been too busy to deal with you. All I can say for the moment is, beware. My day will come. And I'll have everything.
"Repeated listening". Sheesh.
Edits: 12/13/16
I really want to know if it's worth "possessing," as in "has anyone enjoyed sitting through it more than once?
I'm a fan of much of Reich's music. (For those who think this means I'll listen to anything, please consider that I don't care much at all for Glass or Riley.) That said, I don't think I've ever heard the entire piece in question. I do have a excerpt of it on an ECM sampler LP from the 80's, and have enjoyed that segment on more than one occasion, so there you go.
One thing I have noticed is that when I hear various recordings of the same Reich piece, I find very little to choose between them, at least in terms of actual interpretive nuance. The preferences come down to things like recorded sound and instruments used (Reich works are often transcribed for other instruments.)
Some of my favorite Reich pieces:
Music for a Large Ensemble (which is very much in the vein of "18 Musicians")
Tehillim (the second movement especially)
The Dessert Music
Different Trains
Electric Counterpoint
Putting on my flame-proof suit....
dh
I like 18 musicians, but man this Desert Music piece drives me nuts. Listen on YouTube to determine if you are up for it.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
I got into this piece as a student, in fact it was the first work of his I ever heard. I listened to it a lot then, not so much today. I revisited it recently and was not as enamored with it as in the past. It was, however, a different recording than the one I cut my teeth on. Contrary to my previous statement about there not being much to choose between various recordings of the same Reich piece, in this case the piece was almost unrecognizable to me in spots. I'm used to the MTT recording from 1985. The Leipzig performance that comes up on YT is pretty rotten. The canons about halfway through are a train wreck. Avoid. Even with a good performance, the texture is rather heavy and may put off some folks. Tehillim explores much of the same area with a much smaller ensemble and is probably a better entry point to Reich's music for voices and instruments together.
Of course, it helps to spell "Desert" correctly while we're at it. Jeez.
dh
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"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
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"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
is that the streaming services are pretty much designed for 'listen once' and there are a TON of 'listen once' recordings in the classical catalog.
So the question would be: If I'm gonna listen once, which recording of 'Music for 18 Musicians' should I 'listen once' to?
This one?
,
I run the risk of having already heard it, so I'm streaming it with great trepidation.
Edits: 12/13/16
Diff. strokes, but I'd never make it thru once, let alone repeatedly. Hope the players are receiving good care at the ward :-)
Edits: 12/13/16
Monkey Chant?
The Department of Redundancy Department recommends
Repeated Repeated Listening.
Not that you have a choice...
That going in and out of Phase-thing is not easy, either!
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