Wow.  That has to be quite a challenge to perform. Thanks for that.

I think I would agree with pretty much everything autoharp says there (so much for stimulating discussion!), except that I think of Sextet as a bit perfunctory and ingratiating in the same way as the finale of Tehillim.

Preferring a 234-page score to a 13-page score seems a bit perverse to me. With regard to making th music available, isn't it all published?

Well! This whole thread appears to be some sort of hoax! We have that is to say examined our list of worthwhile composers, and there is no "Reich" on it. It passes directly from Bohuslav Rehor to Aribert Reimann (he famous for having abandoned serialism in 1967 of course). But of Reichs therein see we no sign - therefore members be on your guard.

I don't.

It is however passing strange that Aribert Reimann, having "abandoned serialism" in 1967, nevertheless continued in subsequent works to employ this method, as the most cursory glance at the vocal parts of his 1978 opera Lear would amply demonstrate. Member Grew may perhaps be excused this solecism on the grounds that he derives most of his "knowledge" of twentieth-century music from an unreliable source, viz. the incoherent ravings of Norman Lebrecht.

The plot thickens! Mr. Lebrecht's name is being blackened and perhaps Mr. Reimann's too. For this has nothing to do with the estimable Lebrecht; it is clear that he is being dragged in simply as some sort of whipping boy or scapegoat. If we turn to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music we read under the head Reimann, Aribert (b. 1936) "Comps. influenced by the music of Berg, Webern, and the mus. of India. Abandoned serialism in 1967. Has set texts by Shakespeare and Shelley." There you are! Given the choice between trusting the authoritative Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music or our contributor for which version do responsible and thinking Members incline to plump? They cannot both be right. Unless of course Aribert having abandoned it took it up again almost immediately. But we knew this thread was a kind of hoax all along; it resembles a piece of Swiss cheese more hole than substance.

Having heard Lear a couple of times, I'd trust my own ears first and therefore our contributor, whose description of the vocal parts matches what I heard. It is, after all, not unknown for works of reference, just like Homer, to nod occasionally.

Yes, but the way it is presented does not necessarily help potential performers. Reich's score and parts of Music for 18 musicians notates every note + every repeat. Having the performers slavishly following the dots and following a conductor who, half the time, is indicating a strong beat where it is not heard to fall does not help the ensemble deal with some of the main problems of the piece. It's crucial, for example, for the ensemble to 1) be able to listen, 2) maintain forward momentum (most performances, including Reich's own, slow down in many of the sections) 3) know how each section is put together and 4) *play the rhythms properly. Presumably Reich's own group learnt how to deal with these over a period of time. The reason why Reich adopted his 234-page score was in the belief that groups other than his own, without the direction of either himself or one of his experienced performers, would be able to mount performances with the minimum of rehearsal.

*play the rhythms properly. Many performers can't! 

Try this one - 2 bars - 12 quavers (6 crotchets in each bar). Then try it with a metronome.

| . | . | | . | . | | |  -  | . | . | | . | . | . | [and repeat]

apologies for the improvised notation - hope it's understandable. This happens at the end of section 5 of Music for 18.
(F#.  E  .  F#E  .  F#.  E E C# -  F#.  E  . F#E  .  F#.  E  .  C# might be clearer.)

Turning to Grove Music Online I find under Reimann, Aribert: "Later in Lear (1978) he contrasted powerful orchestral eruptions, made up of tone clusters, and sonorities and gestures derived from jazz, with 12-note writing for string quartet or delicate instrumental dialogue." (my emphasis). I have a limited grasp of what serialism is, but Grove also tells me, under Twelve-note composition: "See also Atonality and Serialism."



On other matters: I saw the following 5-disc box in HMV for £25 the other day:



I almost bought it but now I see Amazon has it for under £17.98 so I'm glad I didn't!

I'm still not sure if I will buy it. I like the few bits of Reich I've heard so far but I'm not sure that I'm ready to explore further. If I do, would this box be a good purchase?