Steve Reich at 90: Radio Rewrite
Radical. Other-worldly. Pushing tonality to the limit.
Who’s on stage
Colin Currie conducts and home orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia brings the melodies for this electrifying performance.
What they’re playing
Steve Reich has spent a lifetime reshaping what music can be. In this concert, you’ll hear three works, Pulse, Eight Lines and Radio Rewrite, which show him at his boldest.
Need to know
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, or a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Multibuy: book two concerts and save 15%, book three or more and save 20%, across the Steve Reich at 90 weekend.
Running time: 1 hour, no interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
What you'll hear
Steve Reich Pulse
Steve Reich Eight Lines
Steve Reich Radio Rewrite
Who's playing it
Colin Currie conductor
Royal Northern Sinfonia
What's happening in the music?
Pulse is all about clarity and warmth. Glowing harmonies carried by steady beats, with music that feels at once grounded and weightless, while Eight Lines pushes rhythm and texture to the edge, its fast-moving patterns interlock, overlap, and surge forward in waves of colour. Then there’s Radio Rewrite, Reich’s striking response to the music of Radiohead. It’s a piece that takes fragments of rock songs and reimagines them as something mesmeric, driving. It’s unmistakably Reich, undeniably Radiohead.
Take a Listen
Colin Currie conducts the Colin Currie Group in a performance of Pulse for winds, strings, piano and electric bass by Steve Reich.
