Select a month

Back to The Archives

Terry Riley Archive

Editorial for October 2017

Editorial for October 2017

by | Oct 1, 2017 | Editorial

Eighty Trips Around the Sun: Music by and for Terry Riley is a celebration of that great composer-pianist Terry Riley, bringing together a collection of his compositions for solo and duo piano spanning fifty years, from his twelve-tone Two Pieces to his free-wheeling Be Kind to One Another. This set also includes eight tribute pieces composed for Riley’s eightieth birthday year in 2015, in world premier recordings.   Pianist Sarah Cahill has long been a strong champion of contemporary music, having commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. Composers who have dedicated works to her include John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, and Ingram Marshall, and she has also premiered pieces by Lou Harrison, Julia Wolfe, Toshi Ichiyanagi, George Lewis, Leo Ornstein, and many others. Cahill has worked closely with Terry Riley for over twenty years—starting in 1996 when she commissioned the first of his four-hand pieces, Cinco de Mayo, for a festival celebrating the 100th birthday of Henry Cowell at Cal Performances in 1997.  She has interviewed him several times on the radio, including a joint interview and performance with Riley and John Cale (from the Velvet Underground).  Cahill toured with “Terry Riley […]

TERRY RILEY: Four Four Three – Ragazze Quartet/ Slagwerk den Haag/ Kapok – Channel Classics

TERRY RILEY: Four Four Three – Ragazze Quartet/ Slagwerk den Haag/ Kapok – Channel Classics

by | May 29, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A program of music by the American minimalist composer Terry Riley, newly arranged with a jazz trio and more. TERRY RILEY: Four Four Three – Ragazze Quartet/ Slagwerk den Haag/ Kapok – Channel Classics CCS 37816, 57:30 (6/10/16) ****: The first 3/4 of this unusual CD features Riley’s original work of over 50 years ago, In C, which was probably the most important example of ‘repetitive music.’ There have been several recordings since which attempted to pay tribute to this important work which sort of mixed classical and jazz. According to one of the liner note writers, the worst example he has heard tries to copy the original performance, and “Rules are not as important as results.” This version is totally different by using both the Ragazze String Quartet and four percussionists who go by the Slagwerk den Haag name. There’s an enormous dynamic range (no vinyl medium could possible handle this) and in addition to this explosiveness there is often a feeling of tranquil quiet and relaxation. For the closing Sunrise of the planetary dream collector, a third group is brought in to join the other two. It is the jazz trio Kapok who use electronic effects and other […]