CONCERT: STEVE REICH

As one of the fathers of Minimalist music along with Philip Glass and La Monte Young, Steve Reich has been touted by critics as, “among the great composers of the century,” and in 2009 won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his Double Sextet. His influence can be picked out in the work of avant-garde beatmaker Brian Eno, prog-rock group King Crimson, along with a host of ambient and techno producers like DJ Spooky (recently in Sydney), Coldcut and the Orb. While Reich’s forays into conceptual and minimalist music can initially seem alienating, in fact Reich saw his compositions as a democratisation, commenting, “In my generation we tore the wall down and now we are back to the normal situation,” that is, of plundering popular music for inspiration and innovation. Certainly, that is something that is a given in today’s musical climate. Premiering his Mallet Quartet in Sydney alongside Synergy Percussion, gone are the hypnotic, repetitive strains of his early work in New York, instead replaced by bold, vibrant brushstrokes using marimbas and vibraphones. This is your chance to see a great in action.

May 6, 8pm, City Recital Hall, 2-12 Angel Place, Sydney, $25-49, 8256 2222, cityrecitalhall.com