Sextet, by Steve Reich (FULL PERFORMANCE)
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- Опубліковано 5 кві 2015
- Sextet, by Steve Reich
Performed by Yale Percussion Group
Jonny Allen | Garrett Arney | Doug Perry | Terry Sweeney | Georgi Videnov | Mari Yoshinaga
I. [Fast] - 0:16
II. [Moderate] - 10:13
III. [Slow] - 14:20
IV. [Moderate] - 16:50
V. [Fast] - 20:12
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ABOUT THE PIECE:
Sextet was commissioned by Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians and by the French Government for the Nexus Percussion Ensemble. The first performance under the title Music for percussion and Keyboards was given at the Centre Pompidou in Paris on 19 December 1984 by Nexus with guest artists playing keyboards. The last movement was then revised in January 1985 and the title shortened to Sextet. The American premiere was presented by Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s New Wave Festival on 31 October 1985 as the music for Ms. Dean’s Impact. The American concert premiere by Steve Reich and Musicians was performed on the Great performers Series at Avery Fisher Hall on 20 January 1986. Sextet (1985) for 4 percussionists and 2 keyboard players is score for 3 marimbas, 2 vibraphones, 2 bass drums, crotales, sticks, tam-tam, 2 pianos and 2 synthesizers. The duration is about 28 minutes.
The work is in five movements played without pause. The relationship of the five movements is that of an arch form A-B-C-B-A. The first and last movements are fast, the second and fourth moderate and the third, slow. Changes of tempo are made abruptly at the beginning of new movements by metric modulation to either get slower or faster. Movements are also organized harmonically wit the chord cycle for the first and fifth, another for the second and fourth, and yet another for the third. The harmonies used are largely dominant chords with added tones creating a somewhat darker, chromatic and more varied harmonic language were suggested by The Desert Music (1984).
Percussion instruments mostly produce sounds of relatively short duration. In this piece I was interested in overcoming that limitation. The use of the bowed vibraphone, not merely as a passing effect, but as a basic instrumental voice in the second movement, was one means of getting long continuous sounds not possible with piano. The mallet instruments (marimba, vibraphone etc) are basically instruments of high and middle register without a low range. To overcome this limit the bass drum was used doubling the piano or synthesizer played in their lower register, particularly in the second, third and fourth movements.
Compositional techniques used include some introduced in my music as early as Drumming in 1971. In particular the substitution of beats for rests to "build-up" a canon between two or more identical instruments playing the same repeating pattern is used extensively in the first and last movements. Sudden change of rhythmic position (or phase) of one voice in an overall repeating contrapuntal web first occurs in my Six Pianos of 1973 and occurs throughout this work. Double canons, where one canon moves slowly (the bowed vibraphones) and the second moves quickly (the pianos), first appear in my music in Octet of 1979. Techniques influenced by African music, where the basic ambiguity in meters of 12 beats is between 3 groups of 4 and 4 groups of 3, appear in the third and fifth movements. A rhythmically ambiguous pattern is played by vibraphones in the third movement, but at a much faster tempo. The result is to change the perception of what is in fact not changing. Another related, more recent techniques appearing near the end of the fourth movement is to gradually remove the melodic material in the synthesizers leaving the accompaniment of the 2 vibraphones to become the new melodic focus. Similarly the accompaniment in the piano in the second movement becomes the melody for the synthesizer in the fourth movement. The ambiguity here is between which is melody and which is accompaniment. In music which uses a great deal of repetition I believe it is precisely these kinds of ambiguities that give vitality and life
- Steve Reich
what I so much like in Reich's music is the interplay between people - there 's no stars - they make music - together
+Stoll Silwe young musician of the year
+Stoll Silwe What are you talking about? Charlie Akerman A.K.A. Stoney (guy with beard) is a star in the minimalist music world winning 4 MTV music awards last year and being in the cover of Rolling Stone 5 times. He has also made a few cameos in Hollywood in movies such as "Dude Where's My Car" and "American Pie 2".
Alex Quinones he meant that within the performance,no one is truly the focus, everyone has the same share of the spotlight. of course there are talented musicians in the group, but in this performance they all play equally important roles
Gamelan has the characteristic. It about the group cohesion. For the most part there are no real soloists. The role of singers can come close but it's very much dialed back.
That’s the Gamelan influence.
Not only is this one of the best performances of this piece I have heard, but HOW. ON. EARTH. did you all memorize it?? I have played this piece, so I am aware it has patterns that repeat for 4x, 7x, 13x, 43x, etc. Playing the piece is difficult enough (which you all make look so easy!), but playing it from memory should qualify as an Olympian feat. Absolutely breathtaking. Congrats for all your hard work!
We rehearsed this for about six months straight before performing it...so we had a lot of practice! :)
So what does that equate to in terms of passes through the piece? 1000 times? 10000 times?
My marching band played a version of this in our show last year
Hey Doug. Which Sounds/Patches did you use for the Synthesizers? :)
Gunnar Folsom sexhet
This remains one of the most impressive performances of any piece of music I have seen.
I have yet to hear anything composed by Steve Reich that isn't compelling, provocative or sublime. This is a superb performance. Thank you for the hard work and months of preparation that went into it.
Actually, this is the best performance of Reich's Sextet! So precise, and yet so flexible, swing like, with notes and melodic fragments which bounce and resonate, and not at all square, rigid, or dry as in many other performances. The pacing is wonderful. Also, pulling the bows up works so much better than pushing them down, and makes so much more sense in order to get a natural fading away of sound, and diminuendo for each note and chord. And to top of it all, memorized?! Chapeau!! Magical piece, and performance!
Completely hypnotizing music and still cristal clear. This Yale Pecussion Group deserves all the superlatives they can get. This music has knocked me out many times and still does!
This is one of my favorite videos to watch while I'm flying across the country. It perfectly mirrors the experience: Hurtling through space at the same time that it seems nothing is changing, or only imperceptibly so...
Ouch... "while I'm flying across the country", think about how that looks in 2022 or 2030+. - Unbelievable that sounded cool in 2016-. It doesn't now. The internet remembers.
@@NilodeRoock why so randomly mean.
Not only a brilliant performance, but the recording is fantastic, the blend between electronic and acoustics sounds is perfect!
Stunning performance - I did not intend to watch it all the way through, but I could not stop. I love this piece now more than ever having seen you perform it.
My reaction too. Potential for boredom seems high; yet, this grabs you by its evolving INTENSITY.
1:54 - 10:13 that keyboardist was bringing the heat
I personally though the volume could have been a bit more present. I could'nt really hear the chords underneath the mallets, sounded a bit like maracas. stiil, played steadily and not rushed.
Glad someone else noticed. That had me shook.
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Easily the best performance ever of Sextet and i've heard most of the recordings of it and witnessed it live on numerous occasions. That was a spiritual experience. What an awful shame there wasn't an audience there to appreciate this flawless performance of musical perfection
Je croyais connaître le sextet, mais interprété de cette manière, c'est sublime, complètement envoûtant, avec une qualité de premier ordre. Merci à Steve Reich et aux musiciens de nous donner un tel moment de bonheur.
This piece kept me captivated for 25 minutes...wow! What a great performance.
David Denton phone battery on 4%...
Sooo much doooooopeness bravo bravo
To the folk at Vic Firth who saw fit to record and post this but mostly to these performers, thank you. What an absolutely sublime and exceptional composition and performance. Over the months I've played this over and over and it never fails to move me.
On behalf of the performers: Thank you!!
Great job, Doug & his fellow musicians! The performance is terrific.
I totally agree.
I so agree Shelly... I play this over and over and I don't think I will cease
When it comes to providing great content to potential customers, Vic Firth is the gold standard.
I clicked on this just on a whim. Now I can't pull myself away from it. Very exciting music, repetitions and all. Also, I had no idea you could play and marimba or a xylophone with a bow. Nice swinging jazz groove in the final section.
Man left keyboardist has a "this is my life now" look most of the time and I can't blame him.
marimbas, vibraphones, keyboard synthesizers, and pianos are all keyboard instruments...
I assume you're talking about the left synth player, but the part that doesn't change much is often the most important to be perfect. It is what the ensemble relies on for staying together.
Don't be a snob. He obviously is referring to the synth player, being that there are more apt terms for players of the other instruments.
Adge Pipkin Lol, thank you. Please show me the guy who refers to a marimba player as a keyboardist when there's a person playing the synth five feet away.
Adge Pipkin Well damn, it's not like the main reason for my comment was to say that they're all keyboards. Really only mentioned that to make sure nobody thought I was saying something wrong, not to correct the original statement. I obviously understood what he meant. Sorry if it came across as rude, but being rude to a rude person never solves anything anyway.
Can confirm: Terry is in a constant state of existential grief
I think I would describe this as "ambeint music on speed". I find it very relaxaing, but at the same time stimulating, which is a nice state to be in.
Good and accurate description. That makes it great music for homework.
How about simply "lively music," or, "dynamic and varied 'minimalism'". Ambient music is wallpaper music, whereas this holds my attention. Doesn't speed make you agitated?
This is definitely the best way to describe his music. A nice state to be in. I'll add mine: Reich's music fits like an hand made dress.
For me it's a guilty pleasure... shouldn't enjoy it but ....
@@Braunld Ambient music is meant to be apt for both background noise and active listening, so not quite. And then there's ambient techno, which is derived from ambient but is usually too aggressive to keep on the background for relaxation like regular ambient usually is. (You can still keep it in the background as ambience but you're not as likely to relax.)
Reich is really his own genre. But if you need a name, I think you're looking for "minimalism", which is the closest genre to his work. Still, like I said, he's really his own thing.
Absolument magique ! Musique incroyable, performance parfaite. J'en suis sans voix !
Mari has such a flow when performing this piece. Very hypnotising 🙌🏻
The dudes at the marimbas are totally in love.
+Patrick Wenda And I'm in love with them. The entire group more like, this is amazing.
+Patrick Wenda It's true ;)
I bet they shagged each other senseless after that performance.
I so love this performance. I listen to it regularly as it brings me great joy AND helps me concentrate and get into a zone of optimal work performance.
one of my absolute favorite pieces. I never thought in a million years I'd see this on Vic's channel. Thanks much!
Steve Reich creates sublime percussionist dreamlands. Amazing MEMORIZED performance!
Listened to this many scores of times, but never actually watched a performance. What a treat! The Music of the Spheres leading to almost a state of absolute bliss! Transcendent.
One of finest pieces of music i have heard, thanks for the experience!!!
This is an absolutely delightful musical find!
Wow! You should of all taken a bow at the end. An amazing and captivating performance. You all look so comfortable and you all seemed to be enjoying yourselves. Absolute magic! Bravo :D
This is a triumphal performance by a fantastic group of musicians.
The precise time keeping is superb.
BRAVO
great to see vic firth promoting such unconventional music by a composer that just so happens to be one of my favorites of all time. thank you!
Incroyable qu'ils retiennent tout par coeur. Voir les mouvements des musiciens et les voir s'amuser donne encore une dimension supérieure a cette musique aussi riche qu'originale. Je suis fan !
If there is anyone who put this together still watching, I want you all to know that this recording, not just the composition but this very recording, is my third favorite song of all time and I love it dearly. Everything about it is perfect, it’s the greatest achievement in the history of 12 tone equal temperament.
The more Reich I hear the more I like it. Thanks for posting this.
I'm in awe. An absolutely stellar performance of a brilliant piece of music. If I had been there during the filming of this video, you'd have seen me dancing in pure joy somewhere in the background.
Beautifully performed and filmed! Totally enjoy the young lady's stage presence and dance-like body language---really enhances the performance!
Yep, I agree competely! ;-)
I agree, look at 20:38
Perfect amount of swagger from these exceptional young musicians.
You truly miss something if you leave out the ballet aspect in performing.
I guess, all of them are dancing together with their instruments, just in different styles.
Stunning performance and without the score!!!! Virtuosos! And to top it off, excellent work! What joy !!!
Extraordinary performance of an extraordinary work, and from memory !!!
Feel sorry for the guy who had to play 2 keys for 10mins straight. Outstanding performance nevertheless.
That's my bro
Geraldine Lancaster that is the definition percussion.
Geraldine Lancaster the chords change through out,
cream cheese.
Wel erg prettig voor zijn vriendinnetje, die er thuis plezier aan beleefd. Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel ;)
Incredible musicianship by the entire group. Beautiful performance. Very, very impressive.
Holy shit, that performance was brilliant! PLEASE MOAR!!!
Wow, wow, wow!!! I can't see how this piece could be performed any better. Bravo for days.
Best performance I have ever heard of Sextet.
These harmonies... are some of the most beautiful I've ever heard. And what Reich does with the progression... this is incredible.
Edit: The more I listen to this the more I realise just how un-repetitive it is. Obviously there's a lot of use of ostinato, but it's surprisingly rare that any two sections or subsections are ever the same, whether in terms of harmony, length, textural density, etc.
Absolutely, very jazz influenced and little bit baroque!
Fully agreed
I am in awe of the musicianship here, and also to Reich himself, a true original thinker. Wow!
completely and utterly compelling from start to finish. Bravo!
What a great performance ! Such energy, perfect mastery and sheer joy they send out while playing. Simply amazing. That's what Steve Reich's music is to me: incredibly complex at the beginning, but once you master the rhythms and feel where the music's going and get into the 'groove', it just becomes pure pleasure to play and hear ...
ef-ing awesome performance! and nice to see musicians whose facial expressions and body comportments show just how much joy they get from playing a piece. (Nice job on the video editing, too!)
Mari Yoshinaga moves so nice. Love her movements in rytm with the music.
A freakin' Masterpiece. Nothing less!
I can't believe I'd never even heard of Steve Reich until today! As someone who doesn't know very much at all about music, it's interesting to see how the performers move between the pianos and the 'mallet instruments' so seemlessly. I've always thought they were quite different things in my head, but I can see here that they work in sort of similar ways. I wonder if being really good at the Marimba makes you learn the piano much more quickly or vice versa - interesting. Anyway, thanks for putting this up, I've really enjoyed it.
Once you know one instrument it becomes more easy to learn a second and a third one.
Basic concepts are the same, just different movements.
A master piece of contemporary music indeed. And it is very well performed. Thumbs up.
Absolutely fantastic performance! Even though I know I'm watching a prerecorded video over the internet, I couldn't stop myself from giving a prolonged ovation at the end! I echo the remarks that not only the performance, including the tight ensemble work, but also the fact that you played this bear of a piece from memory---I bow my head in respect. Thanks so much for posting this!
brilliant and breathtakingly beautiful performance!
thumbs up!
Without a doubt the best performance of this piece.
Really, really, really well done…
Awesome...Thanks for sharing....Steve Reich is obviously a Genius and these guys....Fantastic.....
A wonderful, mesmerising performance of an incredible composition! Thank you!
Good piece for social distancing
Not for the pianists
This performance is heartbreakingly beautiful! What a tour de force! Simply amazing! Thank you very much!
What a religious experience, mystic call... Thank you Steve.
I have never seen a xylophone bowed before. Very unique sound. At times this piece seems like music for a horror movie, then it becomes relaxing meditation music. Very different!
Hi, the instrument you see being bowed here is a vibraphone, not to worry though as it is a common mistake, but yeah I see what you mean! great piece!!
Back in 1988 I was fortunate enough to be an "audience" for a rehearsal led by Steve Reich himself of a percussion ensemble in Dallas. I was able to get a cassette copy of the piece and I wore it out over the years. I also used to write production music and I snuck in ideas from this piece more than a few times.
the internet is now complete. thank you!
Really great performance! This group is beyond talented! Keep at it! I really love watching their Reich performances.
I used to listen to this non stop a few years ago. I had never seen it performed. Wonderful!
BRAVOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big respect from a CCM percussion Alumni!
Stunning piece...................stunning performance.
Amazing!!!!!!! Control, synergy, rhythm, everything is done in absolute trust.
Beautiful pristine aquatic sound. I saw one of Steve Reich's performances in Paris in the eighties, and along with Philip Glass and Adams, he is one my favorite modern American composers.
What a brilliant performance. Well done Yale!
Another of my Reich favourites, for its enegy and because he started bringing in much darker and more dramatic harmonies with this one.
Those hemiolas in the 5th movement! Like the ones in Electric Counterpoint 3rd movement. Such a fine detail but an absolutely significant one for the rhythmic stability... this is counterpoint at its purest form, and it all can be seen on the players.
Well done! This piece is a beast, and there are so many lower quality performances on YT, but you guys played it A*!
Awesome....and all memorized!
Pure joy watching this video. Hats off to the performers!
Came to know Reich through JC. Started off with Music for 18 Musicians and then followed YT recommendations to this one. Absolutely stunning, fantastic, a revelation.
Wow! I really enjoyed watching and listening to this. Truly inspiring performance and totally magical. Thank you!!
I composed a piece for recently where the opening was just the piano and vibraphone playing repeated phrases. After the concert, I had a number people telling me it reminded them of Steve Reich's work (whose music I'm not all that familiar with). I get what they mean now. :)
Beautiful performance of an amazing piece - there’s such enthusiasm that complements the emotion of the composition perfectly
Very easy to understand, interesting and exciting music. Excellent work like Wadaiko (Japanese drums) ensemble with beautiful harmony. I also remember ELP's TARKUS about half century ago. This kind of music was very new in that time. But seems to become more and more excellent. とても分かりやすく面白くわくわくする音楽ですね。和太鼓バンドに美しいハーモニーを付けたみたいで洗練された作品ですね。それと約半世紀前のELPのタルカスを思い出しました。この種の音楽は当時は新鮮でしたね。でもだんだん洗練されて来ている感じがします。·
strange and particular ... Samba ? ^.^
Interesting. We evaluate other person’s music based on each past musical experience. Also thank you for your newest relaxation music with your nice arrangement.
末岡武彦 It reminds me a lot of Pierre Moerlen's Gong and a little bit of Magma too.
Great job! Congrats. That was world class!
This is one of the greatest videos I have ever seen.
Reich, you are a genius and creator of ours time
Superb music and superb performance!!
That last section is phenomenal 👏👏👏
impeccably done! Reich's Sextet premiere in 1985 was a dazzling and life-changing event. This Version is no less remarkable.
I love this peice. Wonderful. Thanks from the heart❤🎉❤. John the french guy
Awsome stuff. Steve Reich's music is so simplistic, but really adds up to some incredibly intense ensemble moments!
Actually, it's not as simplistic as you think!
Some of Reich's music is simplistic, but certainly not this piece. It touches an intellect no less than emotions.
Simplistic in terms of harmony, rhythmically is quite complicated
This is soooo good! What a wonderful performance and recording.
Great song and even better performance. Thank you Steve, another banger; and thank you Vic Firth and Yale Percussion for letting me hear it. side note: parts of this sound like boss music, especially the last few minutes
Awesome to listen to and equally awesome to watch.
Absolutely fantastic performance. Possibly the best I've heard.
My brain thanks you. Seriously. This gets my mind organized. A breath of fresh air. :)
***** "This gets my mind organized" i agree, good words that I was looking for before hehe!
Uvisir :)
Best. Performance. Ever!
an absolute musical master piece
completely stunning
Amazing music: Steve Reach rules! A very great performance!
I''m high and this is amazing. 8:50 sounds very Spyro the Dragon to me,
that was awesome. Thanks for composing it. Thanks for performing and uploading it!
This is beautiful!!!!!!!!
The Vic Firth UA-cam channel really is an unexpected gem.
I do not have words to describe this immense feeling of growth
Organic growth
As I am working on FRACTALS
This is a perfect example of fractal music
The sacred geometry of life
Thank you so much
most epic-ly timed finale. i am floored.