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Steve Reich is the self-renewer of his one-time minimalist peers, able to revitalise his output just at the point when accusations of resting on laurels start to surface. By 1980, he had seemingly exhausted the possibilities of eight years of harmony-based writing, and aural wallpaper felt worryingly close.
Tehilim changed all that: with its grounding in Hebrew cantilation and complex though always dancing rhythmic surround, this was Reich at his absolute best. The four Psalm texts--never so literal as to be settings--form a half-hour vocal "symphony", in impact though emphatically not in conception. The first and longest demonstrates to perfection Reich's method of deriving more from less; textures are spare and streamlined, but capable of great intricacy--the passage from roughly 4'30'' is a wonder of metrical freefall. The closing minutes have a sense of release rare in music of any period. De Leeuw's performance is a marvel of accuracy and energy. Don't worry that the accompanying
Three Movements is Reich at his dreariest:
Tehilim is one of the most joyous half-hours you'll ever spend.
--Richard Whitehouse
Product Description
It was with this critical work,
Tehillim (the Hebrew word for
psalms), that Steve Reich demonstrated that minimalism had the power to break out of its groupie ghetto and appeal to a broad audience of music lovers. In creating a masterpiece both expressive and approachable, Reich used the oldest trick in the book: he turned to a biblical source--exactly the sort of thing that composers have been doing since the dawn of recorded music. The result is remarkable in every way, and the music's popularity in performance speaks for itself. This recording, effectively with the work's "original cast," is unlikely to be bettered. It belongs in the collection of anyone who cares about the most important music of our time.
--David Hurwitz
