Ensemble Offspring

Reich: Rejoice: Repeat

In 2026 we’re celebrating Steve Reich’s 90th birthday. But who needs a birthday as an excuse? Steve Reich’s music is our guilty pleasure – we love listening to it and we absolutely adore playing it.

In this program, we’re presenting four of our Reich favourites and special guest Gabi Sultana joins us all the way from Malta. Gabi is the soloist in Piano Counterpoint – a scintillating tour de force. Who needs six pianists when you have one astonishing virtuoso?

Gabi is joined by Ronan Apcar, Claire Edwardes and Niki Johnson in Quartet – glittering music with hints of jazz infiltrating Reich’s trademark rhythmic complexity. And with a piano–percussion quartet to hand, it makes sense to reprise Radio Rewrite, which was such a hit in our all-Reich marathon at City Recital Hall in 2018. Inspired by a meeting with Jonny Greenwood, Reich riffs on two Radiohead songs: Everything in its Right Place and Jigsaw Falling into Place. Will you recognise the originals? ‘The truth is,’ says Reich, ‘sometimes you hear them, sometimes you don’t.’

Don't be late! The performance begins with Steve Reich's Clapping Music, one of his earliest, most recognisable and enduring works. Performed by EO's percussionists Claire Edwardes and Niki Johnson using only their hands, this brilliantly simple yet mesmerising duo perfectly captures Reich's revolutionary approach to rhythm, demonstrating his iconic phasing technique

Program

Clapping Music (1972)
Quartet for two vibraphones and two pianos (2013)
Piano Counterpoint for piano and tape (1973/2011)
Radio Rewrite for large ensemble (2012)

Performers

Sam Weller (conductor), Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion), Niki Johnson (percussion), Gabi Sultana and Ronan Apcar (pianos), Lamorna Nightingale (flute), Jason Noble (clarinets), Véronique Serret and Alexandra Osborne (violins), Dana Lee (viola), Rowena Macneish (cello), Jacques Emery (electric bass)

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Street One | Reserved | Duration 70 Minutes
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