Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians + Double Sextet

Signal is a large ensemble performing under the musical direction of Brad Lubman, which is devoted to presenting a broad range of new music with energy, passion, and virtuosity. Music for 18 Musicians is an iconic work of musical minimalism and one of the most widely appreciated compositions of American experimental music. However, there have been very few recordings of the piece and the interpretation is often disputed (the original score, for example, was a series of cued components, not a linearly notated work, and as such the piece has a more dynamic identity than is generally thought). Working in collaboration with EMPAC’s audio team, Signal used this performance and residency to produce a new recording of Music for 18 Musicians, the sixth since the first was released in 1976. Signal also performed and recorded Double Sextet; in 2009, composer Steve Reich won a Pulitzer Prize for the piece where two identical groups of six musicians each play interlocking patterns of music—and the interwoven rhythms and phrases draw listeners into a maelstrom of pulsing music.