Colin Currie & Steve Reich Live at Foundation Louis Vuitton / Colin Currie (percussion), Steve Reich (percussion) / Colin Currie Group, Synergy Vocals / Colin Currie Records CD CCR0003 / (4/12/19) TT: 54:00
This is the third release from Colin Currie’s label celebrates the percussionist’s artistic relationship with American cultural icon, Steve Reich. Programed at the composer’s request and performed under his supervision, it captures a group of performers at the peak of their powers. On this live recording, Currie conducts and performs with the Colin Currie Group and their long-standing collaborators Synergy Vocals. He is joined on stage by Steve Reich for a performance of Clapping Music.
The music ranges from Clapping Music of 1972 to Pulse of 2015. It’s performed well and with obvious enthusiasm.
I’m generally a fan of Reich’s music, but I didn’t find the CD a total success. I found Clapping Music, which is the first track, not very captivating, along with the closing track, Music for pieces of Wood. I very much liked the intervening music, including Proverb, Mallet Quartet, and Pulse.
The disc could well serve as an introduction to Reich’s music, but there could have been better music of his to show off.
The audio quality on the disc is quite good, and all the tracks would serve as a good demo for a high quality sound system. I also enjoyed the CD on headphones.
In sum, an OK CD. I think some listeners won’t enjoy the repetition of the first and last track, but real Reich lovers may be enthralled.
—Mel Martin
