Sextet/Six Marimbas

Steve Reich (Composer), Manhattan Marimba Quartet (Performer), Nexus (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Manhattan Marimba Quartet, Nexus
• Composer: Steve Reich
• Audio CD (May 28, 1992)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005IY0
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,752 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

These pieces, written more than a decade apart, show the changes that occurred in Reich's music. Six Marimbas is a re-scoring of Reich's Six Pianos (1973), one of his most mechanically oriented pieces. The continuing rhythms are quite exhilarating, but some listeners find this music monotonous. I don't, but even I prefer the Sextet from 1985, which has more harmonic movement than Reich's earlier works. In either case, the music will appeal mostly to those who like rhythmically oriented percussion music, here composed by its greatest master. For many of us, Reich transcends the "minimalist" label and writes real music of lasting value. Try some. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Page for Steve Reich, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

Sextet/Six Marimbas represents a certain pinnacle in Steve Reich's career. While Six Marimbas is still classic minimalism (a necessary re-scoring of Six Pianos), Sextet is one of the most remarkable pieces of the last fifteen years. The piece more successfully integrates minimalist technique to the mainstream language of classical music, especially in the Third Movement. It also accomplishes a rare feat with percussion instruments: notes are given length, especially in the bowed vibraphone. The liner notes further explain Reich's composition ideas, but that isn't essential to enjoying the piece. Overall, Sextet successfully unites several academic ideas to produce beautiful sounding music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD, September 25, 2004

By	AgincourtDB "AgincourtDB" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

Great cd, two great pieces by a master of the style. I write this review to rather pedantically correct other reviewers in that it is a bowed *vibraphone*, not bowed *marimba*, used to such interesting effect in the 'Sextet', as is made clear in the liner notes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, March 12, 2003

By	I X Key "burningfield" (tomorrow) - See all my reviews

Sextet is a very fun piece, with the gradually changing marimba melodies & also marimbas played with bows to get longer notes than a marimba can usually do. My favorite part of Sextet is the 3rd movement. & also, the way the 5th & final movement ends is amazing -- amazing -- it always leaves me breathless.

As for Six Marimbas, it's one of my favorite Reich pieces. A rescoring of Six Pianos. I have both versions, & the rescoring improved the piece infinitely; with marimbas, you can hear each note so well. & the way the music changes always makes you so curious to see what the next note to change will be & how.

This cd as a whole coheres so well, since the 2 different pieces that are melodically & rhythmically very different from each other are both for marimbas.