Steve Reich
Runner
Nonesuch (US) 2022
075597910131 (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : NM
media : NM
An album released in 2022 by none other than Steve Reich, the world-renowned composer representing minimal and contemporary music. It features the first recordings of two pieces: Runner (composed in 2016) and Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, his first orchestral work in some time. Both pieces are performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Susanna Mälkki, recorded live at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. “Runner” is scored for winds, percussion, piano, and string ensemble. “Music for Ensemble and Orchestra” extends the tradition of the Baroque concerto grosso, featuring multiple soloists. Both works are structured in five movements, but the tempo remains constant throughout. Instead, the rhythmic structure follows an arch-like progression within a steady piano pulse: sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter notes, back to eighths, and finally sixteenths again. A deeply engaging listen.