Premiered 40 years ago in New York City and achieving immediate renown, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians remains a landmark work of the 20th century, helping to define the minimalist movement with its revolutionary style. This un-conducted masterpiece showcases harmonically driven pulses that envelop listeners with waves of hypnotic and mesmerizing textures.
Stephen Drury is one of four pianists performing "Music for 18 Musicians" with members of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra. He talks about the challenges of performing this shifting, percussive work.