Top 5 Favorite Reich Works

[Mirror Image]

Since I seem to be having a bit of reawakening with Reich's music lately. I figured it'd be a good idea to start this thread. So what are your 'Top 5' favorite Reich works? I'll start:

(In no particular)

Different Trains
Music for 18 Musicians
Electric Counterpoint
Music for Large Ensemble
Nagoya Marimbas

Your turn!

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Admittedly I don't know a lot of his works, but I do enjoy these:

Music for 18 Musicians
Tehillim
Eight Lines (Octet)
City Life
The Desert Music

[Mirror Image]

Admittedly I don't know a lot of his works, but I do enjoy these:

Music for 18 Musicians
Tehillim
Eight Lines (Octet)
City Life
The Desert Music

A damn fine list. I love all of these works.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I have to list more than five!

Roughly in order

Daniel Variations
It's Gonna Rain
Four Organs
Drumming
Music for 18 Musicians
City Life
Eight Lines
The Cave
Electric Counterpoint

[71 dB]

Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint are the only works by Reich I own and know. Despite of their American Classics -series Naxos has managed avoiding Reich, which of course makes it harder to get into the composer.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Naxos has an amazing catalogue and some great performances available...but, yeah, i don't get why they sometimes just completely miss some incredibly famous composers (Reich) altogether.

[(poco) Sforzando]

At first I thought you meant the Third Reich . . . .

[TheGSMoeller]

Music for 18 is more than likely Reich's most well known work, and arguably his greatest achievement. So I'm leaving it off my list. 
These are my five, starting with favorite....

New York Counterpoint
Tehillim
Music for Mallets, Voices and Organ
Drumming
Mallet Quartet

[Mirror Image]

I have to list more than five!

Roughly in order

Daniel Variations
It's Gonna Rain
Four Organs
Drumming
Music for 18 Musicians
City Life
Eight Lines
The Cave
Electric Counterpoint

Cheating! Please try to narrow it down to five. Thanks.

[Sergeant Rock]

I have to list more than five!

Roughly in order

Daniel Variations
It's Gonna Rain
Four Organs
Drumming
Music for 18 Musicians
City Life
Eight Lines
The Cave
Electric Counterpoint

Cheating! Please try to narrow it down to five. Thanks.

Jessop, just do what MI does in every polling thread: list five, then come back a few hours later and list another five...and then the next day list another five, etc, etc. It can go on for years 

[Mirror Image]

Jessop, just do what MI does in every polling thread: list five, then come back a few hours later and list another five...and then the next day list another five, etc, etc. It can go on for years 

Ouch!

[Mirror Image]

Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint are the only works by Reich I own and know. Despite of their American Classics -series Naxos has managed avoiding Reich, which of course makes it harder to get into the composer.

Naxos aren't the only record company that releases recordings. Nonesuch and ECM have plenty of great Reich recordings in their catalogs to choose from. Not only that, but there are plenty of other ways to hear more of Reich's music (i. e. Spotify, YouTube). No composer unless they're so obscure and have no recordings to their name are hard to get into. You're simply limiting yourself by not allowing yourself to discover more of his music. Don't build walls. Break them down!

[71 dB]

Naxos has an amazing catalogue and some great performances available...but, yeah, i don't get why they sometimes just completely miss some incredibly famous composers (Reich) altogether.

Yes, Naxos isn't good at equality and balance. Liszt piano music releases keep coming until the very last transcription of God knows what is out. Reich? Music for zero Musicians! Good for Liszt fans, bad for Reich fans. Maybe Klaus Heymann just isn't into Reich?

[Mirror Image]

Music for 18 is more than likely Reich's most well known work, and arguably his greatest achievement. So I'm leaving it off my list. 
These are my five, starting with favorite....

New York Counterpoint
Tehillim
Music for Mallets, Voices and Organ
Drumming
Mallet Quartet

Interesting list, Greg. New York Counterpoint is the only work from this list I haven't heard. Mallet Quartet is a cool work. I heard it for the first-time last night along with WTC 9/11, which was also very good.

[TheGSMoeller]

Interesting list, Greg. New York Counterpoint is the only work from this list I haven't heard. Mallet Quartet is a cool work. I heard it for the first-time last night along with WTC 9/11, which was also very good.

Check it out for sure, NY-Counterpoint is for 11 clarinets/1bass clarinet, or for one clarinetist who tapes all the parts.

[Mirror Image]

Check it out for sure, NY-Counterpoint is for 11 clarinets/1bass clarinet, or for one clarinetist who tapes all the parts.

Will do, Greg. Thanks.

[71 dB]

Naxos aren't the only record company that releases recordings. Nonesuch and ECM have plenty of great Reich recordings in their catalogs to choose from. Not only that, but there are plenty of other ways to hear more of Reich's music (i. e. Spotify, YouTube). No composer unless they're so obscure and have no recordings to their name are hard to get into. You're simply limiting yourself by not allowing yourself to discover more of his music. Don't build walls. Break them down!

You are right MI, there is no lack of Reich recordings. It's just that it's so much easier (at least for my wallet) to explore a composer buying £3 discs rather than £10 discs. Nonesuch has a 5 disc boxset, which I might consider buying.

There is the unavoidable time limit: exploring composers A, B and C means there is less time for composers D, E, F,...

I'll try to check out Reich on Spotify. 

P.S. For a long time I mixed up Reich and new age composer Steve Roach.  I was like is it Roach or Reich until I realised they are 2 different composers. Yes, I'd like to explore Steve Roach too (+Harold Budd etc,). So much music, so little time...

[Mirror Image]

You are right MI, there is no lack of Reich recordings. It's just that it's so much easier (at least for my wallet) to explore a composer buying £3 discs rather than £10 discs. Nonesuch has a 5 disc boxset, which I might consider buying.

There is the unavoidable time limit: exploring composers A, B and C means there is less time for composers D, E, F,...

I'll try to check out Reich on Spotify. 

P.S. For a long time I mixed up Reich and new age composer Steve Roach.  I was like is it Roach or Reich until I realised they are 2 different composers. Yes, I'd like to explore Steve Roach too (+Harold Budd etc,). So much music, so little time...

Yes, there's so much music out there and time is indeed limited. You do bring up a curious case, though, I wonder why Naxos has avoided Reich? I mean they've recorded some John Adams, Glass, and, hell, even Terry Riley. It does seem rather odd they're skipping over him.

P. S. Harold Budd is great! Love his ambient style.

[71 dB]

Yes, there's so much music out there and time is indeed limited. You do bring up a curious case, though, I wonder why Naxos has avoided Reich? I mean they've recorded some John Adams, Glass, and, hell, even Terry Riley. It does seem rather odd they're skipping over him.

It's a trademark of Naxos to do bizarre omissions.  Maybe they think Reich has been served well by ECM and Nonesuch, even Harmonia Mundi?

P. S. Harold Budd is great! Love his ambient style.

I have hardly anything by him (Harold Budd/Brian Eno: Pearl).

[Karl Henning]

It's a trademark of Naxos to do bizarre omissions.

Mennin!