Music

For Steve Reich, it was “music as gradual process.” For Philip Glass, it was “music with repetitive structures.” For everyone else, it was minimalism, and no two American composers have been as crucial to the style’s development as these two Promethean figures with rich histories at BAM and on Nonesuch Records. Yet despite their musical affinities, Glass and Reich have pursued notably different career paths and—remarkably—haven’t shared the stage in over 30 years. Now, for the first time in over 30 years, they reunite, joining their respective ensembles, as well as Nico Muhly, Timo Andres, Synergy Vocals, and others for a three-program retrospective of their inestimable collective legacy. 

Philip Glass, one of America’s most celebrated composers, applies his musical encounters in India, North Africa, and the Himalayas to his own compositions, creating a large body of work in a distinct idiom which can be heard in his operas, film scores, dance music, symphonic work, and string quartets. More than 20 of his pieces have been performed at BAM since 1981, including several benchmark works such as Einstein on the Beach, first presented at BAM’s 1984 Next Wave Festival (revived for Next Wave 1992 and 2012). Other BAM performances include The Photographer/Far From the Truth (BAM, 1983); The CIVIL warS, Act V—The Rome Section (Next Wave 1986); the world premieres of Low Symphony (Next Wave 1992) and Symphony No. 2 (Next Wave 1994); the New York premieres of Orphée (Next Wave 1993) and La Belle et la Bête (Next Wave 1994), and a presentation of Les Enfants Terrible: Children of the Game (Spring 1996)—all parts of his operatic trilogy based on the work of Jean Cocteau; Next Wave 1998’s Monsters of Grace; a live musical performance accompanying a screening of Koyaanisqatsi (Spring 1999); and Dracula: The Music and Film ( Next Wave 1999) featuring the Kronos Quartet. Glass collaborated with director Mary Zimmerman for the opera Galileo Galilei, presented as part of the 20th anniversary season of the Next Wave Festival (2002). Glass’ more recent works at BAM include the collaborative concert work Orion and Symphony No. 6 and No. 8 (2005 Next Wave); and his opera Kepler (Next Wave 2009). Nonesuch has released 22 albums of Glass’ compositions, beginning with his 1985 soundtrack to Mishima and, most recently, the reissue of his seminal 1993 Einstein on the Beach recording and a 40-year retrospective called Glass Box.

Steve Reich was recently called "our greatest living composer" (The New York Times), "America’s greatest living composer." (The Village VOICE), “ and...the most original musical thinker of our time” (The New Yorker). Mr. Reich's path has embraced not only Western Classical music, but the structures, harmonies, and rhythms of non-Western and American vernacular music, particularly jazz. "There's just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them," states The Guardian (London). In April 2009 Steve Reich was awarded the Pulitzer prize in Music for his composition Double Sextet. Reich’s world premiere performances of Drumming took place at BAM, MoMA, and Town Hall in 1971. In 1982, Steve Reich and Musicians performed Vermont Counterpoint, Tehillim, and other works as part of the Next Wave Series (a precursor to the Festival). A rich legacy followed with works such as the US premieres of The Desert Music conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas (Next Wave 1984) and The Cave (Next Wave 1993); the Grammy Award-winning Music for 18 Musicians and Hindenburg were performed by the Steve Reich Ensemble at the Next Wave Festival in 1998. In 2002, BAM presented the New York premiere of Reich/Korot’s Three Tales—a three-part digital documentary video opera. Reich’s compositions have also been performed at BAM as part of diverse instrumental and dance programming—the Brooklyn Philharmonic performed “The Music of Steve Reich,” conducted by Kent Nagano, at the 1987 Next Wave Festival; the Kronos Quartet played selections from The Cave as part of a 1995 program; and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker set numerous pieces to Reich’s music, including Rain (set to Music for 18 Musicians), Drumming, and fase, four movements to the music of Steve Reich. In 2006, BAM partnered with Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall for the month-long celebration, Steve Reich@70. Nonesuch has released 22 Steve Reich albums, beginning in 1985 with The Desert Music and including two box sets (one as part of Steve Reich@70); his most recent album featured Kronos Quartet performing WTC 9/11.