American Minimalism - NOSPR

American minimalism stems from the assumptions of experimental music – firstly, we create a working model and see what happens when we repeat it, gradually introducing variations. The perception of the human brain tricks us, which is why such procedures result in mesmerising auditory illusions. Philip Glass and Steve Reich are the founding fathers of this popular genre.  

Glass's quartets are more classical and never evade romantic phrases or recitative melodies. Steve Reich's Different Trains, written in 1988, on the other hand, is a classic of the genre and undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. During the Second World War, a few-year-old Reich used to travel by train between New York and Los Angeles, where his separated parents lived. He later realised that if he had lived in Europe, as a Jew, he could have gone to a concentration camp. In his harrowing work, the music mimics the shape of sentences played back from a recording taken from the wartime memories of Jews from both continents. 

Adam Suprynowicz 

Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes