Reich

Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band based in Phoenix, Arizona, that was formed in 1985. Singer/songwriter Phil Rind's interest was in socially conscious and political speed metal. After several albums on Metal Blade Records, they signed to Hollywood Records for a short stint, but later returned to Metal Blade to continue their musical career…

According to Greek mythology, the Phoenix dies in a fire only to be reborn from the ashes. Many cultures have their own interpretation of this tale that symbolizes resurrection and renewal. This legend of antiquity also has relevance here in 2019. Another Phoenix, the city located in the arid landscapes of Arizona, contains a rebirth of a different sort. Thrash metal veterans Sacred Reich have reemerged in this time of turmoil and uncertainty. Awakening, their first release in over two decades isn’t just a band making a return…

EMI celebrates the 75th birthday of one of our most acclaimed and respected contemporary composers, Steve Reich. This album includes a world-premiere recording of a new scoring of Reich's "Six Pianos", entitled "Piano Counterpoint", arranged and performed by Vincent Corver, Pianist and Co-Founder of the Composer-Endorsed London Steve Reich Ensemble.

So much of Steve Reich’s music depends on shifting tensions and sonorities. The slightest harmonic tweak in the upper strings must be as committed as the most grounding and predictable left-handed piano thuds. Consequently, performing his works requires an almost telepathic connection between musicians and expert marshalling, perhaps even more so than any other contemporary composer. This new recording of Reich’s Desert Music and his Three Movements fortunately adheres to this maxim, presenting unpretentiously but effectively these effervescent, atmospheric works.

All three of the Steve Reich string quartets here were composed for the Kronos Quartet, which has been strongly identified with them. However, several things may be said in favor of this 2023 release by the Mivos Quartet. The first and most important is that this is the first recording of all three Reich quartets together, and it is quite interesting to hear them this way. Reich said for many years that he could not imagine himself writing a string quartet, and the repetition-based structure of his music seemed incompatible with the medium. His solution, precipitated by his juxtaposition of his own childhood train journeys with recollections of Holocaust survivors on trains to concentration camps, was applied first in Different Trains (1988); the string quartet here acts as a discrete unit, introducing and commenting on taped voices.