Maximal Minimal

Back then, when he invented minimal music, he was 20 years old. Today he is 87: Steve Reich – according to the New York Times ‚one of the greatest composers alive’ and for the New Yorker the ’most original musical thinker of our time’. Three of his works, originating from 2007 to 2019, are presented by ensemble unitedberlin, directed by the Austrian composer and conductor Christoph Breidler – one of them in combination with a video playing with color and form.

Two songs by the rock band Radiohead inspired him to his ‚Radio Rewrite’ in 5 movements: he transformed ‚Everything In Its Right Place’ and ‚Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ into avant-garde and wrote with harmonic and melodic fragments a new piece for ‚for an ensemble of musicians who play non rock and roll instruments.’ Second piece is the colourful ‚Double Sextet’ that earned him the Pulitzer Price For Music in 2009. It can be played by two identical sextets or six musicians playing along to their own recording.

Inspired by the famous stripe-paintings by Gerhard Richter, the master of minimal music returned to the play with tiny motif-cells in ‚Reich/Richter’. This piece is to be experienced in a combination of the video ‚Moving Picture’ by the video artist Corinna Belz, who created a shimmering world of forms ans colours in motion using photographs taken from details of Richters pictures.

Steve Reich
Radio Rewrite (2007)
Double Sextet (2012)
Reich/Richter with video »Moving Picture (964-3)« (director: Corinna Belz, D 2017–2019)

ensemble unitedberlin
Christoph Breidler, conductor