Steve Reich: The Four Sections

Mesmerising shapes, patterns interlocking

In Steve Reich’s endlessly tessellating music, shapes emerge, solidify, uncouple, drift away, and begin to emerge anew. Leading the orchestra through this large-scale minimalist exploration is conductor and percussionist Colin Currie, one of the foremost champions of Steve Reich’s music worldwide, and a close collaborator of this American titan.

The programme features two pivotal works by Reich. Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards (1979) marked his first composition for an ensemble beyond his own, maintaining his signature chattering repetitions amid an unusual musical haze. The Four Sections breaks new ground with one long acceleration – a departure from the usually constant speed of Reich’s music.
Alongside the chance to hear a world premiere by Laura Bowler, the orchestra also performs Gabriella Smith’s f(x)=sin2x-1/x. The title of Smith’s piece describes a curve – a shape mirrored by the music itself.

Laura Bowler’s new work is a BBC Philharmonic Orchestra commission.