Terry Riley's "In C" was a landmark composition in the history of minimalist music and, arguably, in 20th century music in general. Originally released on Columbia in a performance version from 1965, its 25th anniversary was heralded by this release featuring a veritable who's who of West Coast avant-garde classical and jazz musicians, including members of the Rova Saxophone Quartet and the Kronos Quartet, guitarist Henry Kaiser, and Riley himself on voice. The score for "In C" consists of 53 short phrases (some only one ...
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Terry Riley's "In C" was a landmark composition in the history of minimalist music and, arguably, in 20th century music in general. Originally released on Columbia in a performance version from 1965, its 25th anniversary was heralded by this release featuring a veritable who's who of West Coast avant-garde classical and jazz musicians, including members of the Rova Saxophone Quartet and the Kronos Quartet, guitarist Henry Kaiser, and Riley himself on voice. The score for "In C" consists of 53 short phrases (some only one note long) to be played by any instruments in a prescribed sequence but with the ability of the performer to determine tempo, how often the phrase is repeated (if at all), dynamics, and more, all accompanied by a steady pulse of eighth notes from the piano, whose role here is taken by William Winant's marimba. This unique combination of structure and deviation from structure tends to produce a wonderfully vibrant, constantly shifting fabric of sound with the brief, melodic fragments (many of them very reminiscent of Southeast Asian music) causing the work to retain an essential "In C"-ness while allowing for great variation. This ensemble is 29-strong, with a very wide range of instrumentation that makes for an impressive amount of sonic coloration. It's an impressive and worthwhile performance, although one can't help but miss the palpable tinge of excitement that, perhaps necessarily, was far more present in the original recording. But this album does show how utterly vital and not tied to its time "In C" is and can certainly be recommended to all Terry Riley fans. ~ Brian Olewnick, Rovi
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Add this copy of Terry Riley: in C-25th Anniversary Concert (New Albion) to cart. $34.95, very good condition, Sold by 86 Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Maplewood, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1995 by New Albion Records.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 5x4x0; a couple of tiny indents near edge of booklet; otherwise, jewel case and rear cover art are in excellent condition; disc is mint/near mint; because we care that your order arrives in the condition stated, we have additionally sealed the case in bubblewrap for added protection during shipment.
