Terry Riley: In C

Terry Riley (Composer), Margaret Hassell (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Margaret Hassell
• Composer: Terry Riley
• Audio CD (March 24, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classics
• ASIN: B001R4SYPG
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,907 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In C, for unspecified performers

Editorial Reviews

It's been 40 years since Riley's experiments with tape loops and repetition in composition culminated in his masterpiece: In C . Sonic explorers from classical to Krautrock drew inspiration from these 53 intertwined phrases, newly remastered from the original session tapes for the first time ever!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece, September 21, 2009

By 

Martin R. Lash (Sister Bay, Wisc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terry Riley: In C (Audio CD)

This is one of the works and recodings that put minimalism on the map. Riley's "In C" has been called the "The Rite of Spring" of our time. This first recording led the way to the many other versions that appeared but this is the first and the best (The more recent Innova CD is worth hearing). Fans of minimalism either have the original CBS recording or should add this reisssue to their collection. A must-have.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars, but an occasional treat rather than regular fare, January 21, 2011

By 

T. Fisher - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Terry Riley: In C (Audio CD)

This recording has some incredible historical significance to it. Forget about minimalism -- I first started wondering about Terry Riley's "In C" because Pete Townshend of The Who said it was the inspiration for his synthesizer riff on the classic rock anthem "Baba O'Riley". It was only later that I started to understand things like Philip Glass or Steve Reich and to realize that Terry Riley fit into that tradition as well, and how significant it really was that "In C" is recognized by many as either the first or one of the first minimalist compositions.

Listening to the piece on this recording -- the first ever made of "In C" and featuring Terry Riley himself on saxophone -- I could definitely hear the connection to music in the more popular minimalist vein. There are brief sections -- perhaps no more than half a minute or so at a stretch -- where I felt the music could actually have been written by Philip Glass if it weren't for the more rambunctious instrumentation. Of course, after a while something uncontrolled breaks out in the structured chaos of this piece that reminds you firmly that this is something else, something less refined and domesticated than mainstream minimalism.

The instrumentation really is something. I listened to the piece before reading about it, and I really thought there must be a gamelan in there, but sadly there is not. In addition to a piano pulse, the instruments are saxophone, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, clarinet, flute, viola, trombone, vibraphone, marimbaphone. But there is definitely a gamelan-like effect that for me recalled Balinese/Javanese music.

This is not music I'd listen to every week, but still I highly recommend it. Yes, in part the recommendation is due simply to the historical significance -- but I also found myself enjoying it much more the second and third time around than the first. It definitely makes me want to seek out more performances of the work. Good stuff, especially for intellectualizing types. For pure emotional content and a more visceral satisfaction, or for beauty as traditionally conceived, you should probably look elsewhere.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Beginning....., August 23, 2010

By 

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel "World Music Explorer" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Terry Riley: In C (Audio CD)

Many versions of Terry Riley's "In C" are now available, but this recording of 1968 began it all. The premiere was in 1964 in San Francisco with different instrumentation and number of players. The key problem for Riley in New York was that the recording would be an LP with two sides and about 45 minutes total time. The piece has no breaks and Riley envisioned it longer, over an hour. This CD edition eliminates the artifical break. The tone is more treble than the premiere and subsequent recordings, heavy on woodwinds and tinkling percussion. However, as Riley did not specify any instrumention and number of players, no length of perfomance, nor tempo, every version is valid; they just vary in mood and style.

Historically, the musical world changed with this recording. This piece was conceived in experimental jazz and Eastern musical influences and was regarded as classical because the premiere was covered by the classical music critic of the San Francisco Chronicle. This album was released during the Cultural Revolution and marketed toward the youth, who were listening to Indian ragas and were more receptive to the work's time-expansive and meditative aspects. Steve Reich, who performed at the premiere on Würlizer organ, would go on his own path of minimalism. Thus, with this recording, musicians, composers, and the listening audience expanded their sensitivity, took on a broader, consciousness-directed interest in music. It indeed was a dawn of a new age.