— Drumming, Parts I & II and
The Cave, which explores the common
heritage of Jews and. Muslims. Neither
Different Trains. The composer will be
performing on exotic drums for the
Reich nor Korot wants to call atten-
first piece.
tion to the fact that they are husband
and wife.
"Drumming was written in 1971,
"We were married for 17 years
and we're going to use half of it,"
before we ever thought of collaborat-
explains Reich, who studied philoso-
ing, and it came out of a mutual need
phy at Cornell before moving on to
in our work," says Korot, who helped
music at Juilliard and Mills College.
create the field of video as an art form
"It's sort of the end of the use of the
and whose productions have been
phasing (cyclical repetition) technique,
which began in 1965, and it grows out
exhibited at prestigious museums. "It
was an artistic
of the fact that I
partnership, and
was trained as a
Opposite page:
if it were any-
drummer when I
Beryl Korot and Steve Reich
thing other than
was a kid. It's sort of
collaborated on "Hindenberg,"
that, it wouldn't
the end of the early
the first of a three-part work
work."
extreme repetition
that explores commanding and
For each col-
that my kind of
troubling technological developments
laborative piece,
music became well
of the 20th century. The University
the two apply
known for. After
Musical Society concert also will
their talents sepa-
Drumming, pieces
feature the Steve Reich Ensemble
rately after meet-
came to repeat less
performing some of the renowned
),
ing about con-
and develop more.
composer's earlier works.
tent. They share
Different Trains
an interest in
began a technique
Jewish subjects,
of using speech
which she has pursued on her own.
melody to literally generate the music.
Korot, who will be in Ann Arbor to
People, including Holocaust survivors,
monitor the projection, became inter-
were interviewed for the work with
ested in video while co-editing Radical
Reich at the keyboard noting the
Software, the first magazine to ever
pitches of their voices as they spoke. It
come out about alternative television.
turned out that women would be asso-
Her first work, Dachau 1974, showed
ciated with the viola and men with
the way in which the former concentra-
cello. '
tion camp had become a tourist site.
The presence of Judaic themes is
Text and Commentary was a piece about
prominent in Reich's composing,
Torah and the relationship between the
although his interest in Judaism came
biblical source and dialogue.
after he explored other religions.
"My grandfather was a
"I was born Reform and had
Conservative Jew, and I lived with my
absolutely no Jewish education worthy
grandparents until I was 5," Korot
of the name," he says. "I knew noth-
says. "They were actively involved in
ing about Torah or the Hebrew lan-
the founding of the state of Israel, and
guage. When I became a bar mitzvah,
[religion] was just always a part of
I was given an English transliteration,
who I was. It's a profound influence
so I was pointing to Hebrew words I
inseparable from my work."
didn't understand and synchronizing
This summer, "Hindenburg" will
them to a pre-learned script. I was like
be performed at Lincoln Center in
a trained parrot, so I was less than
New York as part of a four-concert
sympathetic to Judaism for most of
retrospective honoring Reich.
my 20s and early 30s."
"You won't see religious content in
After exploring Eastern religious
`Hindenburg," Reich says. "When we
practices, he felt something was miss-
finish all three tales, there will be ideas
ing and discussed his dilemma with a
from the book The Lonely Man of
counselor at Yeshiva University. That
Faith, and they will emerge as very
conversation resulted in a referral to a
important guidelines for us in pursu-
New York synagogue, where he began
ing this understanding of technology
spiritual studies.
in the 20th century." E
"I didn't know if I was going to
become a rabbi or a composer, but I
remained a composer and in 1981, I
The Steve Reich Ensemble will
did Tehillim, which [involves] part of
perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, April -;4
the Book of Psalms. It was a pivotal
10, at the Michigan Theater, 603
piece and is considered to this day one
Liberty, Ann Arbor. $16-$28.
of the best things I've ever done."
(800) 221-1229.
Reich's first video collaboration,
also with Beryl Korot, was done for

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