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Summary: Steve Reich's Late Style
Comment: Since his Triple Quartet of 1999, Steve Reich has been engaged in a project of loosening up the compositional processes and contrapuntal grids that framed his earlier work. As early as Octet (1979) and Sextet (1984), Reich was situating structural and harmonic changes within unbroken melodic and rhythmic material. The Counterpoint pieces (1982, 1985, 1987) make this concern with continuously resounding texture and dense harmonic space more explicit.
Daniel Variations (2006) delivers probably the most searing melodic material of Reich's career. While the strings are given the task of doubling the voices in the first and third movements of the piece, Reich makes them the dynamic--sometimes mournful sometimes nostalgic--emotive center of the second and fourth movements.
In recent years, Reich has forgone the sprite, canonic interlocking rhythmic patterns of the 70s and 80s in favor of denser rhythmic accompaniment, extended chords struck out in what Alex Ross has called "telegraphic patterns." Throughout the piece, at two or four pianists or vibraphonists (among ten percussion players total) hammer out these structural patterns. Defying the regularity of the constant pulse that underpinned Reich's classic Music for 18 Musicians (1976), these 'telegraphic' patterns convey a sense of perpetual, unyielding forward energy. While the harmonies assigned to these rhythmic patterns creates a range of emotional import, their kinetic energy is felt throughout the entirety of the piece.
The remaining percussionists play (usually brightly colored) accentuations often synchronized with certain syllables sung by the vocalists. These brilliant, thickly resonant chords both provide the bass information of the chords while drawing out consonances in the middle and high ranges and especially the voices.
This most recent recording of Reich's music serves to show just how much his music has evolved since the diatonic harmony and steady pulse he used during the 1970s. Reich has synthesized that harmonic language with the more chromatic language he developed throughout the 1980s. The result, as we hear in Daniel Variations, is a highly nuanced range of expressive potential. Furthermore, the formal and structural means by which Reich allows this expressive quality to flourish demonstrate clearly the fruits of an intelligent, self-critically modernist composer who continues to reinvigorate and renew his musical vocabulary.
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Summary: Words Are Very Important in Reich's Music
Comment: As in all of Reich's later music, the words he has chosen to set are of the greatest importance to him, and add a profound depth to the message of his music. In "Daniel" (as well as his other late works) Reich is writing as a religious Jew, with all that that implies (and in Judaism, as also in Christianity, the spoken Word is of great theological significance - as is also the significance of a person's name. Names, in the Old Testament, have both power and meaning).
In the Daniel Variations, a work commissioned by Daniel Pearl's parents, all this comes very much into play. The four short texts all empower the music with tremendous meaning, and the the text of the concluding one - "I sure hope that Gabriel [the archangel - Amazon is mistaken in putting the word "Daniel" in its place here] likes my music when the day is done" makes for a stunning and moving conclusion. (Significantly, Reich himself added "when the day is done" to Daniel Pearl's joking words to a friend of his.)
The underlying religious message of Reich's later music does not seem to resonate well with some of his fans.
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Summary: More from Steve Reich
Comment: To say that a "Minimalist" composer repeats himself is a bit of a tautology. Of the three composers most often associated with Minimalism (Riley, Reich, and Glass), each has had a unique compositional arch in their work. Riley, invigorated by his relationship with the Kronos Quartet and his own continued work as a performer, has poured his creativity into a wide-range of projects and pieces, flexing his stylistic muscles with each new project. Glass (in my opinion) has been stuck in a rut for two decades now, and I keep waiting for that brilliant, unexpected flash of genius to happen. (Hey, it happened to Matisse, why not Philip Glass?) Reich's process has been - like his music - more measured. The early loop-based works evolved gradually into complex ensemble pieces (reaching an apex in Music for 18 Musicians). The re-involvement of text that happened first in Different Trains prompted an unexpected direction and led to some remarkable works, and a darkening tonal palette more consistent with European music than American minimalism. Reich has continued to evolve new works out of an interface of his ensemble practices and his text-based pieces, most interestingly when collaborating with his wife Beryl Korot on video/theater projects. This new CD is not filled with surprises: it contains a moving choral work written as a memorial to Daniel Pearl, and an engaging instrumental ensemble piece. If listeners are expecting a stylistic revelation (that flash of genius referred to earlier), they'll be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you enjoy Reich's work, and want to listen to more consistently engaging and well-crafted music from one of the great composers of our age, then I don't think this disc will disappoint.
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Summary: A great work
Comment: I completely disagree with the other review in terms of Reich has not developed over the last - what - 30 years. I particularly am fond of "You Are (Variations", "Three Tales", and now the "Daniel Variations". Generally speaking I _especially_ like the choir parts in all three works. The music has achieved a great deal thru the use of the sound that's close to the edge. It's not the straight forward attitude of "Music for 18 Musicans" or of "Desert Music". Instead there are pretty rough edges which are charmingly covered by the great voices of these works.
Reich continues to explore the deeper sense of the minimal music by adding more color to it. This way the works remain in the context of minimal music, but there are enough elements that encompass minimal music. Glass has described his present day music as music with repetetive elements - the same could be said about the struff Reich writes today. And it is great stuff!
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Summary: A Pale Imitation of the Great Composer We Once Knew
Comment: I've said it before in other reviews of his recent work that I don't think Reich has written anything of high quality in recent years and I'm afraid it continues with this release.
I was at the premiere of Daniel Variations in London 2007 and despite some interesting moments I felt overall the work lacked something, this recording hasn't changed that opinion. I think the vocal writing really is the main problem here. It goes from the tuneless opening to the mundane and frankly cheesy 'My Name is Daniel' section. It is all just unmemorable and clumsy, the counter tenor sound is one I find particularly grating, then again vocal writing has never been one of Reich's strengths. 'The Cave' and 'Three Tales' are ample evidence of this.
The fact is Reich has done little to add to his great works of the 70's and 80's. There is a more dissonant language particularly evident in this piece which just doesn't work. Aside from this one of the main problems presented here and in the discs other piece Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings, is the lack of rhythmic variety.
Reich's basically been stuck in the same rhythmic formulae since the mid 1980's and has done little to advance in this area. If you compare both these pieces to mid-80's works such as The Desert Music, The Four Sections and Sextet you'll notice very little difference in the overall musical language, perhaps a little more dissonance, but in Reich's case I don't think that's a good thing.
Also he was once able to create sublime modal and tonal harmonies and melodies but now when he tries it, it comes out incredibly bland as in the aforementioned 'My Name Is Daniel Pearl' section.
Overall Daniel Variations is a poor addition to the catalogue of a once great composer.
Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings is more satisfying for fans of Reich's music but only perhaps because it is closer in spirit to some of his great works. It still lacks the brilliance of these works and is the same old tune, it is very similar to parts of the Four Sections which he wrote over 20 years ago.
Overall I think the sad fact is that Reich has run out of good ideas in the last 15 or so years. City Life is perhaps the last important work of his and even that pales in comparison to his best works.
To me the biggest sin with this recording is Nonesuch's decision to only include Dance Patterns as an exclusive download to go along with purchasing the CD in Nonesuch's online store (only available to people in the US). Why they couldn't just include it on the disc for everyone is beyond me, as despite its short 6 minute length it is more interesting than anything on the main disc.
The only saving grace really is that Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings is performed very well with great energy with the last movement benefiting in particular from this, however it only disguises the fact that this is sub-par Reich.
So I'm sure the blind faith Reich addicts will disagree with me, but this review is a warning to those of you who love and respect a lot of Reich's music but despair at his recent output; this isn't an improvement. It's worth downloading Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings for nostalgic reasons (it sounds like one of his 80's works). However if you didn't like The Cave, Three Tales and You Are Variations you certainly won't like Daniel Variations which despite its very worthy subject matter packs very little emotional punch.
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