Mivos Quartet—Steve Reich: The String Quartets

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Few composers have transformed the music of our time as profoundly as Steve Reich. With its repeating cells, gradual shifts and propulsive rhythms, the music of this Pulitzer Prize-winning pioneer of Minimalism has influenced generations of musicians across countless genres. The New York-based Mivos Quartet will perform all three of Reich’s works for string quartet: Different Trains (1988), Triple Quartet (1999) and WTC 9/11 (2010).

Each quartet offers a distinct journey: Different Trains juxtaposes the composer’s childhood rail journeys in wartime America with recordings of Holocaust survivors; Triple Quartet layers a live quartet with two pre-recorded ensembles in a dazzling interplay; and WTC 9/11 responds to the attacks of 11 September 2001, weaving recorded voices from that day with echoes of the Psalms.

Personally working with Reich to record the first complete album of his quartets, Mivos has his seal of approval. Praised for its “bracing intensity and impeccable technique” (The Strad), the ensemble is recognised worldwide as champions of contemporary music. Its Hong Kong performance promises an unforgettable encounter with the urgent, hypnotic world of Reich.