Steve Reich

Real Name:
Stephen Michael Reich
Profile:
Steve Reich (October 3, 1936, New-York City, USA) is a composer. He studied composition privately with Hall Overton, then moved on to Juilliard School in New-York to study with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti (1958 to 1961). Subsequently he attended Mills College in Oakland where he was taught by Luciano Berio and Darius Milhaud (1961-63) and earned a master's degree in composition.

Early on, Reich was influenced by fellow minimalist Terry Riley's loosely-structured aleatoric works which combines simple musical patterns, offset in time, to create a slowly-shifting, cohesive whole. Reich adopted this approach to compose his first major work written in 1965: It's Gonna Rain... Reich moved on from the "phase shifting" technique he had pioneered to more elaborate pieces. He investigated other musical processes such as augmentation (the temporal lengthening of phrases and melodic fragments).
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  • Steve Reich Discography

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Albums

Live / Electric Music

(LP)
Columbia Masterworks 1968

Four Organs / Phase Patterns

(5 versions)
Shandar 1970

Drumming

(2xLP)
John Gibson + Multiples 1971

John Cage / Steve Reich / Michael Tilson Thomas / Ralph Grierson - Three Dances & Four Organs (3 versions)

Angel Records 1973

Drumming / Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ / Six Pianos

(3 versions)
Deutsche Grammophon 1974

Six Pianos / Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ

(LP)
Deutsche Grammophon, Deutsche Grammophon Privilege 1974

Music For 18 Musicians

(9 versions)
ECM Records, ECM Records 1978

Octet • Music For A Large Ensemble • Violin Phase

(3 versions)
ECM Records 1980

Music For A Large Ensemble

(LP)
Philips 1980

Tehillim

(4 versions)
ECM Records 1982

Steve Reich / John Adams - Variations For Winds, Strings And Keyboards / Shaker Loops (3 versions)

Philips Digital Classics 1984

John Adams / Steve Reich / Solisti New York / Ransom Wilson - Grand Pianola / Eight Lines / Vermont Counterpoint (3 versions)

EMI Angel Digital 1985

Sextet / Six Marimbas

(4 versions)
Nonesuch 1987

Early Works

(4 versions)
Nonesuch 1987

Drumming

(5 versions)
Nonesuch 1987

Steve Reich - Kronos Quartet / Pat Metheny - Different Trains / Electric Counterpoint (8 versions)

Elektra Nonesuch, Elektra Nonesuch 1989

London Chamber Orchestra* ⋅ Adams* / Glass* / Reich* / Heath* - LCO8 - Minimalist (4 versions)

Virgin, Virgin 1990

The Four Sections / Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ

(2 versions)
Elektra Nonesuch 1990

Music For Mallet Instruments

(2 versions)
Hungaroton 1990

Piano Circus / Steve Reich / Terry Riley - Steve Reich/Terry Riley (CD, Album)

Argo Records (2) 1990

Another Look At Counterpoint

(2 versions)
Amiata Records 1993

Brian Ferneyhough - Mauricio Kagel - Steve Reich - Atelier Schola Cantorum 5 (CD, Album)

Cadenza (2), Bayer Records 1993

Piano CircusKevin Volans / David Lang / Steve Reich / Robert Moran - Kneeling Dance / Face So Pale / Four Organs / Three Dances (CD, Album)

Argo Records (2) 1993

Steve Reich, Stephen Funk Pearson, Howard Bashaw - Electric Counterpoint (2 versions)

Edition Al Segno, Edition Al Segno, Artelier Music, Artelier Music 1994

Tehillim / Three Movements

(CD)
Nonesuch 1994
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Reviews & Discussion

Review by tweeclr Apr 23, 2003
Reich is simply the best on contemporary classical music. His early works have been a really deep influence on techno, check out "Piano phase" or "Violin phase" and get rid of the fact that what you thought was "avant garde" is already 30 years old. So groovy, so emotional, so charming..enigmatic and soulful. Hard to explain in words, the Reich experience is something you must live at your own.
Review by Koba_no_Gomi Sep 29, 2002
I am surprised no-one has commented on Steve Reich yet.
His earliest pieces "Come Out" and "It's Gonna Rain" were some of the earliest uses of tape loops in experiemntal music. They are probably the earliest releases to be comprised entirely of the spokem word cut-up and looped.

His other style of compositions -- instrumental -- is a whole other thing. Take "Six Pianos" for example. At any given time, 4 pianists are all playing very similar parts. Progressively, one part changes just a few notes here and there, then another changes. What you have is a slow metamorphosis of notes in a very solidly repeating piece. It is very hypnotic.
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