“Ligeti Notbad”: a balanced tribute to Terry Riley’s legacy at Kings Place

Haze from smoke machines revealed vivid hue changes. Electronic sounds echoed sharply. Canned drinks served as refreshments for the players between pieces. These seem to be quintessential features of a classical music concert in the 2020s. This laid-back atmosphere was much needed as the Ligeti Quartet stepped onto the stage at Kings Place to pre-celebrate Terry Riley’s 90th birthday, which takes place this June.

The group opened with a brand-new arrangement of Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band by their viola player Richard Jones. The original – recorded as the B-side of Riley’s 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved Air – features a saxophone improvisation over an electric organ drone, aided by tape loops. Given that Riley’s early works embrace improvisational freedom, he likely wouldn’t mind that Jones’ version sounded nothing like the original.

Taking inspiration from In C, the quartet navigated the score freely, weaving brief melodic phrases. The result was fluid and meditative, filled with ample delay and intricate ornamentation over a powerful electric organ drone. At times, however, the musical gestures felt slightly forced, perhaps too polished for Riley’s easy-going spirit. Still, while Poppy Nogood came from a nickname Riley’s daughter used when she was angry with him, the Ligeti Quartet’s take was, at the very least, “Ligeti Notbad”. Pauline Oliveros’ 70 Chords for Terry served well as a short interlude between the two longer pieces, complemented by a brief explanation to the audience of its compositional design and improvisatory nature. Microtonal and sustained tones, cello percussion and lip clicks fulfilled Oliveros’ intention of creating a “warm, atmospheric and meditative” work.

The most challenging part of this review was the final piece on the programme, Riley’s Cadenza on the Night Plain, and I’m not sure it’s the Ligeti Quartet’s interpretation that was at fault. While one could still recognise the jovial composer in it, it felt as though he had trimmed down his bohemian beard, donned a neat suit and started an office job. Put simply, the music lacked a certain roughness and felt monotonous. Additionally, while the amplification worked well in the first two works, it revealed a slight imbalance between the under-amplified cello and the rest of the ensemble.

Despite this, the quartet’s technical finesse made up for it: passages were executed cleanly, with tightly-knit interactions between the parts, especially in the rhythmic sections. The first violin cadenza was particularly spectacular. The musicians clearly know each other’s playing well and respond to it with ease. It was only in the finale that physical endurance became a minor issue. Truth be told, it was their instrumental mastery and collective chemistry that kept me engaged until the end.