Livestreams & Broadcasts
Concertgebouw Amsterdam | October 2021
Steve Reich: Tehillim; Traveler's Prayer; Music for 18 Musicians
Colin Currie Group, Synergy Vocals
Colin Currie (conductor)
Click to watch on YouTube
Quartet
In October 2014 the Colin Currie Group premiered a new work Quartet by Steve Reich written specially for Currie, and scored for two pianos and two vibraphones. It was co-commissioned by the Southbank Centre, Carnegie Hall, Cite de la Musique and Cologne Philharmonie. The Colin Currie Group have planned more than 15 performances of the piece.
Further details on Quartet can be found at the website of publishers Boosey & Hawkes:
Listen to an audio clip on Soundcloud here
“The melody, touched in delicately by Currie and Sam Walton on vibraphones, seemed to be sung rather than struck. It was like a dancing song of praise, and suddenly we seemed to be somewhere ancient. Then, in the cheerfully dancing final movement, the New York neon lights came back.” Independent, October 2014
“Relaxed, intimate and bittersweet in mood, [Quartet] is a chamber work in essence, written with the kind of egalitarianism between the musicians that we often find in string quartets... The slow central section, with its twisting vibraphone lines and shifting harmonies, is somewhat impressionistic. Rhythmic propulsion in the more dynamic outer movements frequently gives way to block chordal figurations that briefly unite all four players in music of considerable rhythmic complexity.” Guardian, October 2014
Programme suggestions
The Colin Currie Group is a flexible ensemble ranging from 4 to 30 musicians and can offer a wide range of programmes, often collaborating with Synergy Vocals. Below are some examples, which can be interchanged and adapted freely.
Programme 1 (18 musicians)
Reich Music for Pieces of Wood
Reich Quartet (premiered 2014)
interval
Reich Music for 18 Musicians
Programme 2 (6 musicians)
Reich Clapping Music
Reich Sextet
interval
Reich Mallet Quartet
Reich Quartet (premiered 2014)
Programme 3 (12 musicians)
Reich Clapping Music
Reich Mallet Quartet
interval
Reich Drumming
Programme 4 (13 musicians)
Reich Music for Pieces of Wood
Reich Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ
interval
Reich Drumming
Programme 5 (12 musicians)
60 minutes, stand-alone
Reich Drumming
Programme 6 (30 musicians)
Reich Tehillim
interval
Reich Drumming
Programme 7 (17 musicians)
Reich Mallet Quartet
Reich Pulse
interval
Reich Quartet
Reich Sextet
Programme 8 (12 musicians)
Reich Music for Pieces of Wood
Reich Proverb
interval
Reich Mallet Quartet
Reich Quartet
Programme 9 (27 musicians)
Reich Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings
Reich Pulse
interval
Reich Music for 18 Musicians
Other repertoire the group can offer includes:
Reich Violin Phase
Reich Dance Patterns
Reich Cello Phase
Reich Vermont Counterpoint (for flute and backing track)
Reich New York Counterpoint (for clarinet and backing track)
Reich Double Sextet
Reich Four Organs
Daily Telegraph, October 2014The performances, led by Currie, seemed exemplary. Each performance worked like a well-oiled machine, the players appearing to stroll from one instrument to the next. It’s the musical equivalent of a high-wire act; everyone is striving mightily to seem relaxed, but we know disaster is only one slip away.
Guardian, November 2013The performance was technically impeccable and musically overwhelming; richly deserving of the lengthy standing ovation.
Independent, February 2010Held together by eye contact, ear contact, intimate understanding of the score and collective breathing, the performance was both aurally and visually exciting – a work of art and also one of craft at its most disciplined and alert.