COMPOSERS: Adams,Glass,Heath,Reich
LABELS: Virgin Ultraviolet
ALBUM TITLE: Collection: Minimalist
WORKS: find works
PERFORMER: Adams: Shaker Loops; Glass: Façades; Company; Reich: Eight Lines; Heath: The Frontier
CATALOGUE NO: CUV 5 61121 2 DDD (1990)
The bracing freshness of John Adams’s Shaker Loops remains the highlight of this useful introduction to the distinctive sound-world of so-called minimalist music. Steve Reich’s vibrant Eight Lines, an adaptation of his Octet, also makes a favourable impression, even though the opulent recording tends to cloud the overall texture. I have to confess to finding little of interest in the hypnotic arpeggios that constitute Philip Glass’s Façades but Dave Heath’s The Frontier saves the day with its unabashed energy and directness of expression. Erik Levi
Adams, Glass, Heath, Reich: find works
The bracing freshness of John Adams’s Shaker Loops remains the highlight of this useful introduction to the distinctive sound-world of so-called minimalist music. Steve Reich’s vibrant Eight Lines, an adaptation of his Octet, also makes a favourable impression, even though the opulent recording tends to cloud the overall texture. I have to confess to finding little of interest in the hypnotic arpeggios that constitute Philip Glass’s Façades but Dave Heath’s The Frontier saves the day with its unabashed energy and directness of expression. Erik Levi
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm
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