[USED:Cond.AB] Phase Patterns, Pendulum Music, Piano Phase, 4 Organs: Ensemble Avantgarde

Whether this disc of late-1960s works by Steve Reich is a compelling collection of four of the composer's minimalist works or a maddening hour of noise depends entirely upon the listener. In the 60s, Reich experimented with--and wrote several works using--what he called "phase shifting." The concept is simple: two players begin playing in unison, but while one keeps a steady pulse, the other gradually speeds up until he is a pulse ahead, then another, then another. The not-so-simple result is a texture in which rhythmic and melodic patterns surface and disappear as one player moves slowly ahead of the other, one pulse at a time.
The performances here are superb, and fans of Reich should not hesitate. For listeners less familiar with the idiom, this disc may serve as an excellent introduction, but one which must be approached with care or the ear will be overwhelmed. The inclusion of three "versions" of 'Pendulum Music'--in which microphones are set swinging over amplifiers, producing patterns of feedback blips which are different each time the work is performed--interspersed among the longer works is welcome, helping to clear the ear and mind between them.