John Adams/Steve Reich/Ransom Wilson
Grand Pianola Music/Eight Lines/Vermont Counterpoint
EMI Angel (US) 1985
DS-37345 (LP)
sleeve : NM
media : EX+/EX+(a few slightly noises.)
This album was featured in the guidebook OBSCURE SOUND REVISED EDITION. A split release from 1985, it is a masterpiece compiling works by two of America’s most prominent minimalists: John Adams, who has released works under Brian Eno's Obscure label and the ECM New Series and won the Pulitzer Prize, and the world-renowned minimalist composer Steve Reich. Conducted by Ransom Wilson and performed by Solisti New York, the album delivers an extraordinary listening experience. Side A, featuring John Adams, presents Grand Pianola Music, where piano, horns, and voices repeat minimal phrases with dynamic variation, creating a series of grand, wave-like crescendos that are deeply moving. Side B showcases two pieces by Steve Reich: Vermont Counterpoint (B1), with its intricately layered flute phrases that evoke rich textures, and Eight Lines (B2), where the beautiful interplay of piano and violin unfolds in hypnotic refrains, seemingly guiding the listener toward a celestial realm. Both tracks are quintessentially Reich, offering a pure immersion into his minimalist style. Highly recommended from start to finish.
A1: John Adams "Grand Piano Music"
B2: Steve Reich "Eight Lines"