Top 5 Favorite Reich Works

[Mirror Image]

I'd like to give an honorable mention to The Four Sections, which is just a beautiful work. Kind of like Reich's own take of Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra where the listener is introduced to all of the sections of orchestra and finally hearing them all playing together in the last movement.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

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

[Ken B]

Music for 18 musicians.
Music for for 18 musicians.
Music for 18 18 18 musicians musicians.
Music for musicians for 18 musi for 18 musicians
Music for 18 music music for 18 for 18 musicians.

[Mirror Image]

Man...I'm regretting not adding The Desert Music to my initial list, but I'm afraid I love my list so much that I can't make any cuts.

[Mirror Image]

Music for 18 musicians.
Music for for 18 musicians.
Music for 18 18 18 musicians musicians.
Music for musicians for 18 musi for 18 musicians
Music for 18 music music for 18 for 18 musicians.

Can't make a list, Ken?

[Simula]

The first time I heard Music for 18 Musicians I thought to myself, "God no, this is terrible," and then I turned it off. I am now listening again. I can see what people like in this piece, though I am not admitting that I like it... I will listen a few more times and see what I think. This has a very urban, technology type feel to it. Weird stuff. 

[Ken B]

The first time I heard Music for 18 Musicians I thought to myself, "God no, this is terrible," and then I turned it off. I am now listening again. I can see what people like in this piece, though I am not admitting that I like it... I will listen a few more times and see what I think. This has a very urban, technology type feel to it. Weird stuff.

First time I heard Glassongs I had a similar reaction. I hated it. But I had to listen to it again.

[Simula]

Am still listening to music for 18... thoughts, 'this is like drug music. The kind of music that induces a trance.' This music is also torturous at times, it makes me want to yell out, 'shut the @#% up.' At times it makes me long for silence. However, I am still open to the possibility that this might grow on me, I hope not, but stranger things have happened. 

[Mirror Image]

The first time I heard Music for 18 Musicians I thought to myself, "God no, this is terrible," and then I turned it off. I am now listening again. I can see what people like in this piece, though I am not admitting that I like it... I will listen a few more times and see what I think. This has a very urban, technology type feel to it. Weird stuff.

The beauty of Music for 18 Musicians, for me, lies in all of the rhythmic patterns that evolve over time. It's this kind of quality in the music that gives the impression of time that has, in some strange way, been suspended. It's music that isn't traditional sounding by any stretch of the word, but, yet, there's a humanizing force that seems to be propelling the music forward. It is also music that you either love or remain indifferent to. Unlike your own experience, I loved this work from the first-time listen. I suppose, if anything, it quenched my need to hear something that was different and outside of the box.

[Mirror Image]

Am still listening to music for 18... thoughts, 'this is like drug music. The kind of music that induces a trance.' This music is also torturous at times, it makes me want to yell out, 'shut the @#% up.' At times it makes me long for silence. However, I am still open to the possibility that this might grow on me, I hope not, but stranger things have happened.

I think it's all a matter of perception. Music for 18 Musicians is a work that challenged our notions of what music could be. It's only torturous if you allow it be. There's only two sides of this coin: you can either accept the music on it's own terms and try to become one with it or you can reject it and call it 'crap' or 'boring'. Like I said, it's all a matter of our own perception of the music. If the music does grow on you and you do indeed end up enjoying it, then that's great, but don't force yourself to like something you have no feel for whatsoever. I mean it's like me and Messiaen. I gave up. I have no reason to return to the composer and try to believe I'll understand his music the next time around. I won't (and lord knows I've tried), but that's okay, we're not obligated to like anything and this certainly could apply to you and Reich.

[71 dB]

Just finished listening to "M4-18M" on Spotify (Ensemble Signal/Harmonia Mundi).

This music is quite similar to the two works by Reich I already knew. I do like everything that happens in the music (especially the use of bass clarinet), but I wish Reich would take his ideas further and do something far more radical (since I listen to a lot of music with rhythms and sequences, I don't find this music very radical in that sense). Despite of that, this would be a nice addition to my CD collection. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Am still listening to music for 18... thoughts, 'this is like drug music. The kind of music that induces a trance.' This music is also torturous at times, it makes me want to yell out, 'shut the @#% up.' At times it makes me long for silence. However, I am still open to the possibility that this might grow on me, I hope not, but stranger things have happened. 

You would love Ligeti's micropolyphonic music seriously

[Trout]

Music for 18 Musicians might be my favorite piece, like, ever! So aside from that:

Different Trains
Electric Counterpoint
Music for a Large Ensemble
Piano Phase

(plus Eight Lines, Clapping Music, Proverb, Tehillim, The Desert Music, Six Marimbas, Drumming, WTC 9/11 among others)

[Keep Going]

I generally prefer Glass and J.C. Adams to Reich, but I do like these works a fair amount:

Music for 18 Musicians
Triple Quartet
Different Trains
City Life
Proverb

An aside - I was intrigued to discover Four Sections, which quite surprisingly is basically Reich writing a Symphony.      And he starts it slowly, which is cool.