April 9, 2016
by Graham Rickson

Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet, Sextet, Nagoya Marimbas, Music for Pieces of Wood Third Coast Percussion (Cedille)

This is the greatest percussion disc I have ever heard, both in terms of playing and recording. In the words of Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion, Steve Reich’s music has “shown audiences how percussion can be absolutely essential… it seems to have marimbas and vibraphones in its very DNA.” Reich’s own recordings of his music on Nonesuch should be on everyone’s shelves, but these performances are sharper still. Most striking is 1973’s Music for Pieces of Wood, the instruments being struck tuned to five distinct pitches. The track listing states that the work lasts a little longer than 14 minutes, though it feels much bigger here. These players are especially impressive when it comes to observing Reich’s dynamic markings. The final crescendo is sensationally realised; listen at high volume through headphones and it’s as if you’re being pleasantly pummeled. 1994’s Nagoya Marimbas is also sensationally recorded, Reich’s catchy melodic patterns cleverly split between two players across the stereo divide.

You simply can’t imagine any of this music being performed any better. There’s a reference in the notes to the moment in a Reich piece “when the separation between players disappears and individual entities are swallowed up into a seamless composite” – that’s what you get here. The musical processes, however complex, always feel joyous rather than mechanical. Reich’s use of vibraphones and pianos in the Mallet Quartet and Sextet is quite brilliant, their sustained chords a pleasing contrast to the prevailing brittleness. Astonishingly, Reich will be 80 this coming October, so start your own celebrations early by raising a glass and purchasing this CD.

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