Steve Reich |
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2006 is a big year for fans of Steve Reich, with a major 70th birthday
retrospective due at the Barbican this October.
Ahead of that, this
commemorative Prom gave the strongest possible advocation of his
distinctive compositional style, both in programming and execution.
The choice of repertoire, from the brief to the expansive, demonstrated
the versatility of Reich's development process, superior to his fellow
'minimalists' in its ability to sustain interest, keeping the melodic and
rhythmic material fresh.
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Not that there was any melody in the famous Clapping Music, cast
as curtain raiser for two pairs of hands. In mildly amplified form it was
remarkably clear in the Albert Hall, its rhythmic vitality evident through
the capable palms of Colin Currie and Sam Walton (not
Richard Benjafield, as billed in the programme).
The two then took up positions as if about to engage in a game of table
tennis, facing each other for Nagoya Marimbas, where the mellow
sonority of the wooden instrument's lower register was put to good use.
As the structures became gradually more substantial, the warm, hazy
textures of Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ were
next. Reich's subtle elongation of the vocal lines was expertly handled by
Synergy's three female singers, their striking purity of tone
complemented by the busy metallophone and marimbas, while Andrew
Cottee's sustained organ notes gave the piece its foundations.
These three pieces provided the perfect extended up beat to 1970's
seminal Drumming, its impact twofold when presented live, with a
chance to enjoy either the overall texture or to focus more intently on one
developing cell. Drumming's four sections moved from the outright
percussive, in the form of four soloists on pitched bongos, through the
softer wooden tones of the marimbas to the shrill metallic ring of the
glockenspiels, coloured now and then by immaculate vocals and piccolo,
which was unevenly amplified. The final, thrilling section united all four
sections.
The virtuosity from the thirteen musicians was stunning, the stage a
whir of activity as sticks rose and fell with rapid precision, the communal
interplay of the piece visually striking. At one point all nine
percussionists were reaching the higher registers of the marimbas in an
exultant climax to the second section. The ensemble found a cumulative
expression, moving seamlessly between sections, and fully deserved the
rapturous ovation (non-rhythmic, of course!) from a generously filled
hall.
Not only well planned and delivered, Reich's music also proved once
again its suitability for the nocturnal hours, with the warmth of Music
for Mallet Instruments and the hypnotic clarity of Drumming both
wonderfully portrayed.
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