Sunday, October 08, 2006

Today Amongst Other Days


Steve Reich, originally uploaded by vansgirl12. Photo credit: Wonge Bergmann

So I am getting very excited over the tonights concert. It is entitled, "Quintessential Reich" and I don't know why but I feel like a small child going to the fair on a warm summer day. Where is the cotton candy? Ice cream? Sodas? Well, none of that will be at the Barbican, I am sure of it. I suppose this what happens when you get a bit older. Nonetheless, I am excited. I suppose I am so excited because Steve Reich is acutally going to be on stage and he is a part of my young musical past that is coming to life right from the pages of the scores, the music books, the recordings. It's is going to be live! Wow. How exciting. I got to see Terry Riley last year and now Steve Reich.

Alright, that is more of my inner self than I should ever like to reveal about those secret idolizations of old-time composers. Perhaps you are more interested in what is going to be performed. I would be. Firstly, Maya Beiser (whom I saw doing a really annoying sound check yesterday before the Gamelan performance--she is the epitomy of ego-driven performance practice that Plato rightly attacked), Steve Reich & Musicians with Synergy Vocals, and Brad Lubman will be performing. I don't know who Brad Lubman is, perhaps he is the director of Synergy Vocals? I am sounding ignorant now because I know someone who is reading this knows. The pieces are as follows: The Daniel Variations, Cello Counterpoint, and Music for 18 Musicians.

At 6:45pm on the Free stage there will be a performance of several shorter pieces by the Bang On A Can All-Stars. Who needs to live in America when you have the Barbican to extract all the familiarities and bring them to my door step? (If only they would invite PBE, then I would be really happy!) BOACAS is going to be performing the following (by the way is a free performance that is held in the lobby): Michael Nyman's Manhatta, Julia Wolfe's Believing, Evan Ziporyn's Music from Shadowbang, and Louis Andriessen's Worker's Union.

I am hoping to get there in time for the free show. According to the Barbican web site, the show Reich show is sold out. I was lucky to get the tickets when I did! Cost me 25 pounds for a ticket which is a pretty dollar but hopefully worth it. I would never spend that much on Bach. 6 pounds for a nosebleed for a Bach performance, thanks. Not that I do not like Bach, it is just that Bach is dead.

It is a nice day so I will take my camera with me to London and hopefully get some nice shots. I need to remind my mother to post me my battery charger for my camera because it is about to die on me.

Cheers!

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, did you enjoy the show? I am probably being impatient trying to find a review of Daniel Variations in the press the next morning, but am also surprised to find no blogs entries either. I am an anonymous librarian working in London and enjoyed the whole thing - particularly the Daniel Variations. Did you see anything else over the weekend?

8:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh man, i would have loved to have seen that. i'm so jealous!

5:03 PM  
Blogger Veronica said...

Yes I loved it. It was a really great show. I don't know why no one would have mentioned it. I have been too busy at the moment to post a decent review. I'll try later on today. I saw the Gamelan performance the day before at the Barbican. That was nice, as well. I desperately wanted to see 'The Cave' but I wasn't able to because the cheaper seats were sold out and I was already going to the concert on Sunday. I really wish I could have been to that, though.

I am glad you enjoyed it! I think everyone was thoroughly pleased with the event considering the endless clapping and standing ovation Reich was given at the end of the performance.

2:22 AM  

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