At 87 years old, the composer who has accompanied the American minimalist movement since its beginnings is today considered the pope of contemporary music across the Atlantic.
The Présences Festival, orchestrated by Radio France, which begins this weekend, pays tribute to him in the form of a portrait in thirteen concerts.
They will perform alongside those of several of his “heirs” – from Nico Muhly to Caroline Shaw – sixteen of his works, from the founding opuses such as
Drumming
or
Music for 18 Musicians
to
Jacob's Ladder
.
Le Figaro.
- The festival opens with the European premiere of your latest piece, Jacob
's Ladder
, and closes with
Tehillim,
which, in 1981, saw your first setting of a Hebrew text.
Is there a link between the two works?
Steve REICH.
-
Yes.
Tehillim
began my return to the roots of Judaism.
Jacob's Ladder
is part of this continuity.
It was actually composed a year ago, just after I wrote another…
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