Colin Currie Group & Steve Reich, Southbank Centre

Don't miss the chance to see a world premier at the Royal Festival Hall: Steve Reich, a startlingly original composer, and the Colin Currie Ensemble.

A pioneer of minimalist music in the 1960s Steve Reich continues to be a startlingly original composer in the 21st century. Minimalist works by composers such as Reich and Philip Glass are characterised by their intentionally simplified musical language, making Reich’s music the perfect introduction to contemporary classical music. But Reich’s presence is felt in genres outside of classical.He has found fans in the pop music world, with artists such as Brian Eno and David Bowie admitting to Reich’s influence on their work. We highly recommend this concert with a programme that spans works from the composer’s entire career, opening with one of Reich’s most popular pieces, Clapping Music, and closing with a world premier.

Clapping Music(1972)is an extraordinarily original work. Lasting about four or five minutes, Reich has described the work as “short, sweet, and to the point”. But it takes the simplicity of minimalism to an extreme, being scored for two performers using only the percussive sound of their hands clapping. In contrast, the rest of the programme explores the composer’s interest in the richer sounds of tuned percussion instruments such as vibraphones and marimbas. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend the world premier of Quartet for 2 vibraphones and 2 pianos (2013), and witness thelatest compositional development of a man proclaimed as “our greatest living composer” (The New York Times).

Steve Reich & the Colin Currie Group  

Not to be missed are the percussion ensemble, the Colin Currie Group. They are no strangers to Reich’s Music, previously having performed Drumming and Music for 18Musicians to high critical acclaim. Currie himself is a performer at the top of his game, regularly performing with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. He is a fierce advocate of new music, and has performed many world premiers of works by living composers, including Eliot Carter and Nico Muhly. Don’t miss the chance to see this exceptional artist and his ensemble performing works by one of the most imaginative and exciting living composers.