Country : United States Label : independent Genres and styles : Minimalist Year : 2020

Music For 18 Musicians (Steve Reich)

· by Michel Rondeau

Erik Hall’s gamble is ludicrous – to meticulously recreate, in his basement studio in Michigan, alone, one track at a time, Steve Reich’s immense masterpiece, whose composition took almost two years of work.

Curious, I started listening to it to see what it sounded like. And a bit like when you see one of your favourite films on TV, and you start watching it just to watch a few fond scenes, and then finally see it through to the end – he snared me. I got caught up in that great game again, and listened to it in one go.

The most distinctive feature of this new version is its tempo. It is indeed the fastest ever recorded, which gives it a nervous energy, a very interesting, almost stressed-out aspect. For comparison purposes, it is five minutes shorter than the original version, released by ECM in 1978 (which remains the one, par excellence) – that is to say, 53:54 against 58:55. There is also a more relaxed, very successful version, recorded by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble and released by Innova in 2013, which lasts 61:20. The “slowest” performance, in which Reich took part, released by Nonesuch in 1998, is 67:42. (There are also other recordings, including those of Ensemble Modern, 1999, and Ensemble Signal, 2015, lasting 58 and 59 minutes respectively).

But let’s get back to the one at hand. Although he relies on a large electronic device for his work, Hall recorded each of the countless tracks in real time. He even tried to do it in a single take. Of course, he sometimes had to do a few before he got the right one, but he didn’t cheat. Although he had to use a synthesizer to recreate the sound of the bass clarinet, the performance remains acoustic (with a nice touch of distortion in the electric piano) and very human. And despite its slightly faster tempo, it never sounds robotic.

Latest 360 Content

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

LMNL – Rainbow

LMNL – Rainbow

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Galan Trio – Embrace

Galan Trio – Embrace

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Subscribe to our newsletter