Steves Reich shares the podium of the contemporary music with Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and John Adams.
With roots in the styles of John Cage, Lou Harrison, and others, his music is characterized by a great rhythmic drive, simplified harmonies and hypnotic repetition blossomed.
Click here to watch the documentary "A Year with John Cage", about the experimental musician: • A Year With John Cage ...
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A student of Darius Milhaud and Luciano Berio, musician Steve Reich (born 1936) quickly developed a style all his own inspired by Baroque music, Bartók, Webern and Stravinsky, as well as jazz, traditional music (especially African), and Hebrew cantillation. As a trailblazing exponent of minimalist music, Reich rejected the characteristic complexity of mid-20thcentury classical harmony and tonality in order to make large-scale works from minimal materials a single chord, a brief musical motif, a spoken exclamation - thereby reconciling sacred and popular music. In this profile, he looks back on the key stages of his 40-years lasting career, from the formation of his own group, Steve Reich, and Musicians, to the American avant-garde he helped to create, from new video performances to his quasi-religious music. Despite his success and wide recognition Steve Reich has never renounced his independent spirit and has been a tireless warrior in the struggle to bridge the gap between "high" and "low" culture.
At the Sacrum Profanum festival in Krakow, Poland, the American minimalist was surprised by Jonny Greenwood's interpretation of Electric Counterpoint, which led to the collaboration between Radiohead and Steve Reich. In his album Radio Rewrite, the composer includes "Jigsaw Falling into Place" (2007) and "Everything in Its Right Place" (2000) as well as Jonny Greenwood's version of "Electric Counterpoint".