M29 Drumming

50% concessions apply

Special Offer: Book for this event and Kuniko Kato plays Reich (M27) at the same time and save £5. Offer not available online, call 01242 505444.

The Colin Currie Group with Synergy Vocals

Steve Reich Drumming

‘I think Colin Currie and his incredible musicians have taken this piece to a finer level of performance…and has opened it up to me as a kind of revelation.’ — Steve Reich

At its premiere in 1971, Drumming received a standing ovation from the audience at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. One reviewer described it as a piece that was ‘refreshing to ears grown weary of dissonance’, a ‘joyous blend of marimbas, glockenspiels, drums, and voices’. 40 years later, a performance of Drumming remains a fascinating and stimulating event to witness—hugely engrossing for both the ears and eyes.

The Colin Currie Group, formed specifically to perform this work, play with a precision, energy and focus that leaves you in no doubt of their virtuosity, while the smooth blend of Synergy Vocals perfectly complements the subtlety of Drumming’s ever-changing effects. In fact, Steve Reich himself has described the group’s rendition as ‘a kind of revelation’: high praise indeed from a composer whose own group were the sole performers of this work for many years.

Supported by Penny Wright and Andrew Neubauer.

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Pre-concert demonstration (M28) at 5pm (ends approx. 5.40pm) free to Drumming ticket holders.

Colin Currie and fellow players guide the audience through the compositional techniques that underpin Drumming, performing excerpts from part 1 to show how Reichs seemingly simple method of 'substituting beats for rests' can create such intricate and constantly evolving patterns.

If you like this try M24 Fitkin and M27 Kuniko plays Reich.