Steve Reich is a legendary composer who was one of the pioneers of minimalism. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the New York Times called him “America’s greatest living composer.” I had the incredible honor of getting to speak to Steve Reich about his piece Different Trains, written for string quartet and pre-recorded performance tape. It was first performed in 1988 by the Kronos Quartet, and they released a recording of it in 1989, which won the Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Different Trains is a piece about World War II and the Holocaust. It’s made up of three movements: America – Before the War, Europe – During the War, and After the War. For this episode, Steve Reich breaks down the first movement, which was inspired by his own childhood experiences.
You can buy or stream Different Trains: America, Before the War here.
And you can buy Steve Reich’s new book, Conversations here.
For a transcript of this episode, click here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
footnotes
It’s Going to Rain – Steve Reich
Come Out – Steve Reich
Beryl Korot
