We have reached a period
where music by composers who came of
age in the 1970s, such as Steve Reich
and Philip Glass, is played not only
by their own ensembles, but by other
groups and orchestras. While there have
been a few notable recordings of Reich’s
music - not overseen by the composer
- in the past decade, this key minimalist
composer’s music shows no sign of becoming
part of the more general "classical"
music repertoire. Reich’s Music for
18 Musicians, considered to be the
composer’s seminal work and the one
that got him attention outside the avant-garde,
has been recorded by several groups
other than the composer’s. This new
recording by the Grand Valley State
University New Music Ensemble shows
that it is a work that remains vibrant
today.
Music for 18 Musicians
was a breakthrough work for Reich,
not only because it was the first of
his works to be scored for a relatively
large group of musicians, but also because
it was released on the "mainstream"
ECM label. The work is in 14 parts,
and is based around 11 chords, each
of which develops small melodic phrases,
before cycling back to a restatement
of the original section. Lasting around
an hour - Reich’s original recording
was just over 56 minutes - this work
is mesmerizing and, at times, because
of its pulsing rhythms, hypnotic. Yet
it has a foot-tapping rhythm, and its
micro-melodies are memorable; it’s the
kind of music you might want to hum
or whistle, if you are so inclined.
This current recording
by the Grand Valley State University
New Music Ensemble has received excellent
reviews everywhere, and is a best-selling
classical recording on the iTunes Store.
Reich himself called it "A gorgeous
and stunningly accurate CD".
It’s hard to compare
recordings of Reich’s compositions.
The music does not allow much in the
way of interpretive options, and Reich
calling this CD "accurate"
is probably the best praise one can
give. The music itself demands precision
and accuracy. One of the main selling
points of this recording is the quality
of its sound; something that, looking
back, Reich’s initial 1976 recording
on ECM lacks. This hybrid CD - it plays
in surround sound on an SACD player
- offers a unique listening experience
that other recordings do not.
However, much of the
praise garnered by this recording seems
to highlight the fact that this "all-student,
all-volunteer band" was able to
perform such a challenging work. This
is like questioning Shakespeare’s ability
to write Hamlet because he was
simply "a glover’s son". There
is no reason why, with hard work and
dedication, a group of talented musicians
cannot perform a work like this, and
the fruit of their dedication is present
here. They certainly deserve recognition
for their hard work. But that, in and
of itself, is no reason to buy this
recording of 18 Musicians rather
than another. If the sound is the main
criterion, either this recording, or
Reich’s 1997 recording on Nonesuch,
are the discs of choice. The 1976 ECM
recording sounds flat by comparison
to either of these, though its slightly
faster tempi give the music more drive.
The 2004 live recording by the Amadinda
percussion group suffers from, well,
live sound. This present recording also
has a more delicate balance among the
instruments, which gives it a very good
texture; the playing of this work reflects
less an ensemble than a group of instruments
playing together.
Needless to say, this
is the most important work of minimalist
music, and one that people should discover.
Much more so than the work of Philip
Glass, Steve Reich’s music, while less
well known - mostly because Reich doesn’t
compose film scores at a Dickensian
rate - inspires and moves the listener.
The hour you will spend with a recording
of this work is an hour during which
your mind will expand to new musical
horizons. If you have never heard Music
for 18 Musicians, go out and buy
this recording now.
Kirk McElhearn
An excellent recording of the seminal
work of minimalism ... see Full Review
Grand Valley State University New Music
Ensemble/Bill Ryan 
