Tehillim / The Desert Music

Track Listings
1. Psalm 19: 2-5 - Alan Pierson    
2. Psalm 34: 13-15 - Alan Pierson    
3. Psalm 18: 26-27 - Alan Pierson    
4. Psalm 150: 4-6 - Alan Pierson    
5. Desert Music: I [Fast] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
6. Desert Music: II [Moderate] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
7. Desert Music: III, Pt. 1 [Slow] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
8. Desert Music: III, Pt. 2 [Moderate] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
9. Desert Music: III, Pt. 3 [Slow] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
10. Desert Music: IV [Moderate] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    
11. Desert Music: V [Fast] - Alarm Will Sound, , Alan Pierson    

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Reich's music moves along in a stately, orderly, almost mathematical way, so one wouldn't expect a wide variety of interpretive styles in different performances. Still, this recording of Tehillim, at least the third issued so far, seems sharper in focus and rhythm than the premiere ECM recording, the only one to include the composer's participation. The Desert Music sounds somewhat different here than in the premiere Nonesuch recording by Michael Tilson Thomas with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Chorus, the ensembles it was written for. This "revised chamber version" by the composer from 2001 uses smaller forces, losing something in grandeur while gaining rhythmic clarity. It's becoming obvious that Reich's music will survive his own performing career and lifetime, and here is an example of a disc with no performing ties to the composer which is still extremely satisfying. It is also very well-recorded and generously programmed, since the premiere recordings of the two works took up a disc each. Cantaloupe Music provides sung texts and lists of the performers but not a word of program notes, a liability to this otherwise admirable release. --Leslie Gerber

Tehillim / The Desert Music, Music, Steve Reich, Ossia, Alarm Will Sound, Alan Pierson, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Modern Composition, More than Two Solo Voices with Small Ensemble, Orchestral & Symphonic, Vocal
Reich: Tehillim / The Desert Music
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Highly disciplined minimalism
  • Nothing short of amazing
  • very good music
  • Wow!
  • The cleanest recording of Tehillim
 Reich: Tehillim / The Desert Music
Steve Reich , Alarm Will Sound , and Alan Pierson
Manufacturer: Cantaloupe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Reich: Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint / Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny
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  5. Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin

ASIN: B00006H6B5
Release Date: 2002-09-10

Amazon.com

Reich's music moves along in a stately, orderly, almost mathematical way, so one wouldn't expect a wide variety of interpretive styles in different performances. Still, this recording of Tehillim, at least the third issued so far, seems sharper in focus and rhythm than the premiere ECM recording, the only one to include the composer's participation. The Desert Music sounds somewhat different here than in the premiere Nonesuch recording by Michael Tilson Thomas with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Chorus, the ensembles it was written for. This "revised chamber version" by the composer from 2001 uses smaller forces, losing something in grandeur while gaining rhythmic clarity. It's becoming obvious that Reich's music will survive his own performing career and lifetime, and here is an example of a disc with no performing ties to the composer which is still extremely satisfying. It is also very well-recorded and generously programmed, since the premiere recordings of the two works took up a disc each. Cantaloupe Music provides sung texts and lists of the performers but not a word of program notes, a liability to this otherwise admirable release. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Highly disciplined minimalism.......2006-09-30

This album brings together two works written by American minimalist composer Steve Reich in the early 1980's including Tehillim (1981) and The Desert Music (1984). As they appear on this album, Tehillim was performed by the ensemble Ossia, while The Desert Music was performed by Alarm will Sound and Ossia. Both pieces were recorded sometime in 2001 and were directed by Alan Pierson. In general, this is fantastic minimalism and I especially appreciate its austere, acoustic qualities.

The musicians on this album are far too numerous to mention individually, but the dominant instruments include the human voice, mallet instruments, and string bass (mostly bowed parts), in addition to a host of woodwinds, strings, brass, and keyboards (even though a prog rock fan, I have to admit that the absence of electric instruments is a refreshing change of pace). Steve's pieces require a great deal of technical ability, and there are some dazzlingly intricate group vocal parts on Telhillim, although the performances throughout are top shelf.

Tehillim itself is written in four movements principally for voice (high soprano, lyric sopranos, and an alto) although other instruments such as the string bass and various percussion instruments are featured. The piece consists largely of ostinato networks performed by the singers; is extremely long (30'51"); and possesses a subtle rhythmic element. The Desert Music (43'47") is somewhat different and is presented in (at least I think so) an arch form (A-B-C-B-A). The seven movements are pretty much differentiated by tempo. Although male and female voices are featured on this piece, the other instruments are given equal weight (not to mention that there are more instrumental passages), giving this piece a fuller sound than the comparatively stripped down Tehillim. The rhythmic element is also more robust.

This music gets quite brooding and contemplative at times. There is also a meditative quality to the music, which is strengthened by the repeated melodies and the sheer length of each piece. The sound quality of this recording is also fairly impressive.

All in all this is an incredible work of minimalism and has to be one of the more rewarding genres that I have discovered as of late. In that this is my first exposure to the works of Steve Reich, I can not say anything about how these new performances compare to the originals, although I have to say that I was very impressed by the playing. Another recording by Steve Reich that I found to be enjoyable is City Life (1996).

5 out of 5 stars Nothing short of amazing.......2003-11-11

It seems superfluous to pile-on to all this praise, but in this case it's well deserved. I too was lucky enough to be in the audience at Miller Theatre the night these bold interpretations were "released" from their birthing place at Eastman into NYC and the rest of the world. It was an electrifying moment, which makes sense considering the high energy at this live event which immediately followed the recording sessions. And that same joyful energy is present on the disc for everyone who didn't witness the exuberance (and colorful appearance) of the performers that night.

In fact, Alan's interpretations weren't just birthed at Eastman -- they began years before in other places, and here is the shining result. Rhythm that bounces out of the box from the first note, voices and instruments perfectly in tune with incredible inflection (non vibrato and tinged with both classical and jazz sensibility), unprecedented brisk tempi (putting into new contrast Reich's exquisitely frozen slow movements), and a jaw-dropping sense of dance energy throughout. The level of swing going on here is contagious but clear and unforced, so that when that extra drive over the top is needed for climactic moments, it's there in shocking proportion yet still in control. Just phenomenal. They almost sound like new pieces now, or a new way of hearing Reich that perhaps was only possible a few generations later.

Reich's revisions are wonderful. I never once missed the extra brass and strings from the old Desert Music -- all the same gestures are there but are allowed to move and breathe like never before. I agree there's something very special about that old Tehillim on ECM, but this new one is so different in character and so winsome, you can't help but be glad it's here. The composer himself happily stated that night, "these guys blow my group out of the water," which if you're familiar with his ensemble is saying *a hell of a lot*. My only complaint is the inexplicable absence of Alan's excellent and thorough program notes, which are available only on the Cantaloupe site. But don't let that stop you -- print out the notes, snarf up this disc, and be amazed.

5 out of 5 stars very good music.......2003-04-22

Steve Reich is the greatest mainstream minimalist composer of our time.

This recording of Tehillim I think is the best one yet, & I suppose since this is the most recently revised (early 2003 BCE)version of The Desert Music, it is the most basic important one to have in your cd collection. If you have an earlier rec ording of The Desert Music, this one is different, & by now, so long after the first recorded version, this is the masterful composer's favorite himself. You should become familiar with this. Or be decades behind. Decades. Behind. As in out of touch.

5 out of 5 stars Wow!.......2003-02-13

I've loved this music since it first appeared, back in the early '80s, and I second the praise that others have delivered about this recording. It has a clarity and immediacy missing from previous outings (the musicians were probably recorded in the multi-miked "pop" style rather than the style usually adopted for "classical" musicians). The percussion in Tehillim is snap-crackle-pop sharp, allowing the ear to carefully distinguish the sounds of the various percussion instruments, in comparison to the muddled sound of the Schoenberg Ensemble version. These percussionists have this music in their blood. They are tremendously well-rehearsed, and their youthful stamina pays off in the momentum they maintain throughout the performances. An extra string quartet in Tehillim allows melodies and sustained chords to assume more prominence.

Meanwhile, the singers' voices in The Desert Music are more individually characterized than before, allowing you to hear the text more clearly in voices that are dramatically free of any vibrato whatsoever, giving the singing a pure but momentous sound. I agree that the larger body of strings used in MTT's version is missed in the opening of the last movement, but otherwise I prefer the fiddlers in this version for their cracker jack playing. Quicker tempos accentuate the exuberance of Reich's syncopations. (This performance shaves 5 minutes off MTT's version.)

If I could only have one version of these pieces this would be the one I would buy. Actually, this recording is a better deal than what is currently available: The Desert Music on Nonesuch is unaccompanied by a second work, a situation which is also true of Tehillim on ECM. The Tehillim on Nonesuch is coupled with Three Movements for Orchestra, an uninteresting work whose last movement is a poor re-hash of the last movement of Sextet (a far superior work to the Three Movements).

If more youthful, classically-trained ensembles played like this, there would be few handwringing discussions about "the future of classical music." Buy this disc.

5 out of 5 stars The cleanest recording of Tehillim.......2002-12-31

The recording of Tehillim on this CD is the best I've heard, an absolute tour de force for the instrumentalists and especially the singers. The tempi are manipulated to increase the dramatic effect, and the balance is immaculate. The recording quality of this performance is far better than the original ECM recording, any splice-points having been eliminated. This is the best recording out there!
Steve Reich 1965-1995
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Classic, but not the definitive...
  • Essential
 Steve Reich 1965-1995

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000005J4P
Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

  1. Come Out
  2. Piano Phase
  3. It's Gonna Rain, Part I
  4. It's Gonna Rain, Part II
  5. Four Organs

Tracks:

  1. Part 1
  2. Part 2
  3. Part 3
  4. Part 4

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  1. Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ
  2. Clapping Music
  3. Six Marimbas

Tracks:

  1. Music For 18 Musicians: Pulses
  2. Music For 18 Musicians: Section I
  3. Music For 18 Musicians: Section II
  4. Music For 18 Musicians: Section IIIA
  5. Music For 18 Musicians: Section IIIB
  6. Music For 18 Musicians: Section IV
  7. Music For 18 Musicians: Section V
  8. Music For 18 Musicians: Sectionn VI
  9. Music For 18 Musicians: Section VII
  10. Music For 18 Musicians: Section VIII
  11. Music For 18 Musicians: Section IX
  12. Music For 18 Musicians: Section X
  13. Music For 18 Musicians: Section XI
  14. Music For 18 Musicians: Pulses

Tracks:

  1. Eight Lines
  2. Tehillim: Part 1: Fast
  3. Tehillim: Part 2: Fast
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  5. Tehillim: Part 4: Fast

Tracks:

  1. The Desert Music: First Movement
  2. The Desert Music: Second Movement
  3. The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part One
  4. The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part Two
  5. The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part Three
  6. The Desert Music: Fourth Movement
  7. The Desert Music: Fifth Movement

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  1. Works: New York Counterpoinnt: Fast
  2. Works: New York Counterpoint: Slow
  3. Works: New York Counterpoint: Fast
  4. Works: Sextet: 1st Movement
  5. Works: Sextet: 2nd Movement
  6. Works: Sextet: 3rd Movement
  7. Works: Sextet: 4th Movement
  8. Works: Sextet: 5th Movement
  9. Works: I. Strings
  10. Works: II. Percussion
  11. Works: III. Winds And Brass
  12. Works: IV. Full Orchestra

Tracks:

  1. Works: Different Trains - America - Before The War
  2. Works: Different Trains - Europe - During The War
  3. Works: Different Trains - After The War
  4. Works: Electric Counterpoint - Fast
  5. Works: Electric Counterpoint - Slow
  6. Works: Electric Counterpoint - Fast
  7. Works: Movement I
  8. Works: Movement II
  9. Works: Movement III

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  1. The Cave: Typing Music
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  5. The Cave: Genesis XXI
  6. The Cave: The Casting Out Of Ishmael And Hager
  7. The Cave: Machpelah
  8. The Cave: Genesis XXV
  9. The Cave: Interior Of The Cave
  10. The Cave: Surah 3
  11. The Cave: El Khalil Commentary
  12. The Cave: Who Is Abraham?W
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  14. The Cave: Who Is Hagar?
  15. The Cave: Who Is Ishmael?
  16. The Cave: The Binding Of Isaac
  17. The Cave: The Cave Of Machpelah

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  1. Proverb
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  3. City Life: 'Check It Out'
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Amazon.com essential recording

In the afterglow of his 60th birthday in 1997, Nonesuch Records delivered Steve Reich and his listeners an immense gift, this 10-CD retrospective of his work for the label, extending from his earliest tape-manipulation pieces to his most recent compositions utilizing samplers and the video artistry of Beryl Korot. Aside from the ear's liquid sense-making when it hears the dense and limber marimbas of Reich's Six Marimbas or his taut, dizzying Piano Phase, there is a physical response almost inevitable in Reich's music. It stuns and holds you. And he knows it. It's Gonna Rain struck an early chord of inventiveness, featuring an African American Pentecostal preacher's sermon and eventually spinning the title phrase into a jangling repetition of single words. Percussion works abound here: Clapping and Drumming stun with their deceptive similarity and warm clarity. Perennial favorite Piano Phase features pianists Nurit Tilles and Eduard Neumann synched up on two pianos and careening at full tilt in unison before their four hands fall out of time and phrase with each other, only to realign in a powerful swooping demonstration of energy and focus. The latter CDs hold abundant delights, many revealing Reich's late-discovered spiritualism and Judaica: Different Trains' examination of the Holocaust; Tehillim's shimmering Hebrew texts sung with fascinating choral power; Proverb's invocation of Perotin. Closing the set are recent pieces: Nagoya Marimbas, and the sampler-rich City Life and The Cave. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Classic, but not the definitive..........2004-05-20

While a multi CD collection spanning 30 years does sound very promsing, Nonesuch cannot offer all of the best recordings of some of Reich's masterpieces (Music for 18 Musicians or Drumming), and some have been missed out completely (Music for a Large Ensemble), presumably because the piece was not recorded under the Nonesuch label. While the collection is formidable, a listener wanting to hear the best recordings of all the pieces might do better seeking out the older (or longer!) recordings of the pieces.

5 out of 5 stars Essential.......1999-02-24

The term "essential" gets thrown about too much. And heck, the claim that certain words get thrown about too much gets thrown about too much. But here is a collection that really *is* essential to understanding the nature of a whole shift not just in classical music, but in popular music and indeed in popular culture. So many of Reich's ideas and concepts have become so deeply embedded in current classical music, film scoring (any number of examples, but think about Tangerine Dream's score for "Risky Business" and Hans Zimmer's score for "Thin Red Line," for starters), electronic music and even the visual arts.

This box set gives the listener all of Reich's major works. I can't even attempt to describe them individually, but every one of these 10 CDs is compelling. For the totally uninitiated, take out "Music for 18 Musicians" (presented here in a crystalline new recording) to get an idea of what the core of this guy is all about. From there, you might want to listen to "Different Trains," "Electric Counterpoint" and "Six Marimbas" to get an idea of the pointillistic pulse minimalism that Reich contributed to the world. The earlier material is the more challenging, exploring the subtleties of rythym, phase relationships between sounds and shifting timings. Among these, the new recording of "Four Organs" is just outstanding.

Reich's works, along with the early works of Terry Riley and Philip Glass, form the foundation of an enormous edifice that has grown of music that attempts to return to its essential and hypnotic roots. With this box set, one of those pylons becomes clear.

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