February 15, 2016 by Maggie Molloy Minimalist composer Steve Reich is best known for his experiments into “phase music”—that is, music which features two (or more) musicians playing identical lines of music, synchronously at first, but gradually shifting out of unison with one another. As the cycle slowly unfolds, new melodies are created by the ever-changing aural interactions of the two identical lines of music. But just like his phase music, Reich never repeated the same thing exactly twice—in fact, over the past five decades he has built an extraordinary compositional career by maximizing very minimal melodic content. That’s because his compositions are music ofprocess, and his melodies are created through use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm and canons, perpetual cycles, and, of course, unwavering originality. With his explorations into rhythm and articulation, Reich redefined the melodic possibilities of percussion instruments in particular—which is why Third…

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      February 12, 2016 by James Manheim Percussion music represents an important strand in the output of minimalist composer Steve Reich, and this release by the ensemble Third Coast Percussion, whose members cheerfully admit they weren't even born when Reich first came on the scene, shows how the genre has continued to interest him. The works involved span several decades, from Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) to 2009's Mallet Quartet. It's notable that Reich's language, unlike those of his minimalist-pioneer compatriots, hasn't fundamentally changed during this period. Instead, he explores percussion-defined spaces and processes in different ways. The Nagoya Marimbas (1996) receives a performance that, in the words of the players, "blends the characteristic Reich marimba sound with an expressive, nuanced approach to dynamic shaping"; the upshot seems to be a reading that lands toward the communicative end of the spectrum of Reich performances. Music for Pieces…

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February 8, 2016 by Doyle Armbrust Steve Reich and Third Coast Percussion (TCP) are both celebrating birthdays this year, and if the latter’s new album is, in part, a gift to the former, all subsequent presents will likely take on a paler hue. Marking its 10th anniversary, Third Coast is surfing substantial momentum, with a residency at Notre Dame, frequent appearances on the country’s choicest music series, and this new album released by Chicago’s premiere classical label, Cedille. There is no shortage of Reich’s percussion oeuvre on CD, but TCP comes out swinging with a stunning capture of the now 80-year-old’s Mallet Quartet (2009). Like careening down a Teflon-coated Slip ’n Slide covered in glycerin, the flow of time in movement one, “Fast,” is frictionless, propelling the listener ever forward, unencumbered by bar lines. Movement two, “Slow,” is heartbreaking, with its catch-breath, asymmetrical beat structure and reluctant harmonies played here…

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    January 28, 2016 by Jackie Walton The four musicians who comprise Third Coast Percussion have repeatedly taken on fearsome repertoire over the years. The ensemble specializes in material that's out of reach to most percussion groups. The quartet will tackle yet another series of demanding challenges in a pairing of works by Donnacha Dennehy and Steve Reich on Saturday at the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, where the quartet has been the ensemble-in-residence since 2013. Both compositions require the performers to handle a heavy workload, sometimes involving highly unusual extended techniques. The concert begins with the world premiere of Dennehy's "Surface Tension." It was co-commissioned by DeBartolo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Third Coast will repeat this program at the Met in New York City in February. "Surface Tension" features a phenomenon rarely heard in percussion music: melodies. (more…)

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    January 27, 2016 by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim By the time the members of this impressive percussion ensemble joined forces in 2005, the composer Steve Reich was already a grandfather figure in the American new-music scene. So as the percussionist Robert Dillon writes in the liner notes to this beguiling CD, his group’s responsibility is 'not to document this repertoire — it no longer needs basic preservation — but rather, to put our own stamp on it.' It’s above all a sensual approach to tone color that comes through in Third Coast’s take on classic works, whether it’s the relaxed warmth of the Mallet Quartet or the glistening brightness of 'Music for Pieces of Wood.' Joined by the pianists David Friend and Oliver Hagen, the ensemble also finds full-blooded drama in the Sextet, which contains within its five movements a world of expressions from impish charm to almost oppressive darkness.…

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