Bang on a Can Plays Steve Reich July 25, 2009

Cap off a day highlighting American legends Steve Reich and Sol Lewitt. With a performance of the seminal Reich work Music for 18 Musicians. Written for a cello, violin, two clarinets (both players double on bass clarinet), four pianos, three marimbas, two xylophones, a met allophone, and four women's voices, in the work a small piece of music is based around each of 11 chords, and the piece returns to the original cycle at the end. NPR calls it “An icon of American music,” continuing, “the piece unfolds like a slowly shifting dream, with sections of repeated material ebbing and flowing around a cycle of 11 chords.” This project has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.

Galleries open until 7:30 PM.

Official Website: http://www.massmoca.org