Sextet · Six Marimbas

Sound DNA

• Classical
• Modern & Contemporary

• brittle
• meditative
• cerebral

About

From <i>Drumming</i> to <i>Music for 18 Musicians</i> and beyond, percussion is central to Steve Reich's sound. That has seldom been more effectively underlined than on this 1986 album. <i>Sextet</i> features four percussionists playing multiple marimbas, vibraphones, and more, plus two keyboardists. The self-explanatory <i>Six Marimbas</i> is the percussive adaptation of <i>Six Pianos</i>, which Reich wrote in 1973. Reich's work has almost always been about blurring lines between melodies and between rhythms. But on <i>Sextet</i>, even the boundaries between instruments are obscured—the piano plays percussively, the synthesizer employs an organ-like tone, and the vibes are bowed to produce elongated, synth-like sounds. The instrumental roles are clearly defined on <i>Six Marimbas</i>, of course, but that doesn't keep the melodic lines from freely intermingling in classic Reich fashion, frequently evoking his aforementioned classic works from the '70s. And while <i>Sextet</i> features more harmonic development, both pieces here take you on a transformative journey.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits