Steve Reich " The Desert Music "
Gavin Bryars " New York "
By the Ensemble de Basse Normandie
The Percussions Claviers of Lyon
The chorus Synergy Vocals
Dominique Debart (direction)
Saturday November 25, 2006 l 19h30 MC2 : Grenoble – Auditorium
This is the Festival’s second spotlight on Steve Reich, leader of the “minimalist” movement whose musical language is based on pulsation (repetition) and re-introduces tone.<br>A work of spectacular dimensions, “The Desert Music” was born of the deeply personal reflections of Steve Reich, who was inspired by three highly symbolic deserts: the Sinai, the Mojave in California and the New Mexico Desert.
The title of the work is taken from a collection of poems, The Desert, by North American poet William Carlos Williams. Reich used verses from the collection when building his score. The result is one of the composer’s definitive works, bringing together in one soundscape all of the protean influences that have shaped his artistry since the very beginning: piano, jazz, Hebrew musical traditions, African percussion and Balinese music.<br>The opening work, “New-York” is a concerto for percussion and chamber orchestra (2004) dedicated to the Percussions Claviers de Lyon by another great reference in minimalism, British composer Gavin Bryars.
Welcome : 38e Rugissants. With the support of MC2 : Grenoble
