This concert took place in the concert hall without a live audience: you can (re)watch the livestream until 5 April.
“All great music is contemporary. If it's still alive and kicking, then it's contemporary.” - Steve Reich
The Desert Music (1983) shows us a milder Reich as he explores the new possibilities offered by a large orchestra and choir.
His ability to communicate social and philosophical questions in music also comes to the fore here: with the dark poetry of William Carlos Williams as the engine that unrolls a constant rhythmical canvas, Reich addresses the destructive whims of humanity.
Steve Reich was at the origins of a new musical style in the 1960s: minimal music. Repetitive motifs, powerful rhythms, music that stood on its own – the listener having no other hold than time, space and the surroundings in which it is heard.
In 1983, Reich was ready to set aside his reservations about large formations: until that time, he thought that symphonic ensembles lacked the rhythmic versatility and precision necessary for his music. The Desert Music shows that it can.
programme
Steve Reich
The Desert Music (1983)
(version for reduced strings)
practical
This concert will take place in the concert hall, even without a live audience: you can watch the concert via the livestream.
🎟️🎫 Buy your tickets (€5) here!
Livestream available until 5 April.