Drumming

Reich (Artist), Ictus (Artist), Synergy Vocals (Artist), Octors (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cypres
• ASIN: B0000A1HUK
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,804,836 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Recordings of a Landmark Work!, July 11, 2004

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Drumming (Audio CD)

Like many other 'minimalist' works, 'Drumming' is an amazingly delicious blend of subtlety and complexity; of static patterns and forward motion. For those unfamiliar with 'Drumming' here is a brief synopsis.

The process comprising the 'method' of this peice is called 'phasing.' There are about six percussionists (tuned drums, marimba, glockenspiel) that start off playing the same two bar pattern. While some of the musicians keep the pattern at a steady tempo, one or two others graudually speed up, getting ahead of the others. This happens untill the 'sped up' musicians are exactly one quarter-notes-pace ahead of the others; then they sync back up. Now what was once a unison pattern is a canonic counterpoint consisting of the same two bars played a beat apart. Different players 'phase' at different times throughout the plece and each 'phase' results in a seemingly new pattern (all the while the musicians are playing the same two bars worth of music).

The reason I go through this is because while this is one of the hardest percussion peices to play, it is one of the coolest to hear. The above description might strike some as boring and dry, but the phasing technique imbues this 57 minute piece with a remarkable forward motion.

This 'version' is done slightly faster than others I've heard and serves to keep the forward motion and excitement up. And as hard as this peice is to play, I am amazed at this ensembles crispness and accuracy. Particularly the third movement, which to me has always been the least exciting, posesses an undeniable energy that other recordings do not, to me, capture.

All in all, this is a quality recording. The only better one, it seems to me, is the Deutsch Grammaphone recording (which has a disadvantage in being a double, not a single, disc). If you are new to 'Drumming' get this so that you won't be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice clean recording..., May 25, 2004

By 

Jonny B (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drumming (Audio CD)

A nice speedy rendition of Drumming. In my opinion, the order of recording I would go for would be the "original" DG version, then this, then the Nonesuch recording. As expected, this version is note perfect, and worth noting is its interesting timbre throughout the piece. The phase shifting is well done, and the sound is a very whole one. Recommended after the original.