Steve Reich’s music
Steve Reich studied composition with Darius Milhaud and Luciano Berio, and he developed a sound that is quite unique to him, even though it shows the influence of Bartók, Webern and Stravinsky. One can also hear in Reich’s music the sounds of jazz, and even Hebrew melodies.
Reich rejected the earlier complexity of mid-20th-century sound in order to create large-scale works from minimal materials.
In this profile of the composer, Steve Reich looks back on the key stages of his career, from the formation of his own group, “Steve Reich and Musicians”, to the American avant-garde he helped to create, from new video performances to his quasi-religious music. Despite his success and wide recognition Steve Reich has never given up his independent spirit.
This DVD includes:
• It’s Gonna Rain (1965)
• Piano Phase (1967)
• Pendulum Music (1968)
• Clapping Music (1972)
• Music for Pieces of Wood (1973)
• Music for 18 Musicians (1976)
• Tehillim (1981)
• Sextet (1985)
• Different Trains (1988)
• The Cave (1993)
• Proverb (1995)
• 2 x 5 (2009)
This film is about the artist and his music. The music ranges from the analog tapes of his first recorded pieces to current technology of sampling and video. We see Mr. Reich at work, and also several clips from his performances and concerts in Le Havre, Tokyo, Rome, New York and Manchester.
Bonus: “Talks in Tokyo with Steve Reich” (18 min.) & “A brief History of Music by Steve Reich” (9 min.)
Here is a video of Steve Reich speaking about music in America:
Tags: Steve Reich, Phase to Face