Three Tales (CD & DVD)
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Free Music Notes for Three Tales (CD & DVD)
Free Music Review: Don't miss out on some of Reich's best work: listen and listen again, without preconceived expectations!
Hit: 4 Stars
Steve Reich seems to suffer from having been a prodigious and prolific talent in the 70's. Often those who discover his work like to pigeonhole him as a 'minimalist', and site his groundbreaking ensemble work as his best, and all those works that followed as inferior.
I love 'Music for 18 Musicians', 'Drumming', 'Mallet Instruments' and all of these other pieces (even the relatively austere and slightly brain-melting 'four organs'), but what people seem to miss is that Reich is a true talent, and a pioneer, and there is no way he can continue to achieve his best if he simply repeats himself endlessly until the end of his time as a composer.
Instead, he developed.
Many of his more contemporary works (arguably from around 'Different Trains' onwards) are considerably more ambitious, often more musically complex, and, I imagine, more demanding for many listeners who are more accustomed to the pure zen beauty of '18 musicians'. This does not mean that they are not as worthy of attention.
I too discovered Reich through his earlier work, and I was a little alienated by 'Three Tales' in particular, as well as pieces like 'the Cave' and 'Proverb'. The vocals seemed jarring and unambiguous, and the music was stark: intense in a very different way. However, my respect for Reich drove me to listen further, and I have grown to appreciate and enjoy Reich's modern works as the equal of his earlier successes.
Three Tales, in particular, is a staggering piece of art, which asks some pertinient questions about post-industrial life, faith and science through some of the most wonderful music I've ever heard. By turns Reich delivers bombast, tragedy and irereverent humour blended with serious social commentary. It's fascinating stuff, and much like 'the Cave', has rich levels of meaning.
Reich continues to deliver the goods: 'Daniel Variations' and 'You Are' deserve unprejudiced ears, and offer as much reward to listeners as any of his early work.
The only reason I give a 4 star score for 'Three Tales' is that the video art seems inferior to the music, to me. I'm not certain that it would be possible to create visuals that would be the equal of Reich's score, but the dated computer graphics that dominate the DVD seem weak to me in places, particularly during the first two of the 'tales'. 'Dolly' is much more interesting to me, visually. I still watch the DVD, and I comsider it a worthwhile purchase.
Listen and enjoy this truly original piece!
Free Music Review: On Steve Reich's "Three Tales"
Hit: 1 Stars
Weeks before seeing Three Tales I heard its score. The music Reich composed for this opera is slightly less interesting than anything he has published previously. It features incessantly repeating syncopated phrases comprised of annoying melodies tossed upon stagnant, droning tones. This is the best that can be noted of the work. Mr. Reich uses Three Tales to expand his compositional methods into the modern age of the early 1990's. Time-stretched vocals are in every piece. A computerized voice (as that available standard on every Macintosh computer) sings several solos in the Dolly act. Uncomplicated, novice drum programming also hammers into numerous pieces - this is particularly disappointing as Mr. Reich is a competent percussionist himself. From onset to finish the score falls victim to a toybox of mundane digital audio gimmicks - perhaps impressive to the ignorant elite of la musique nouveau but thoroughly boring to anyone willing to acknowledge the radio music of the last two decades [see N'Sync's BT produced "Pop", Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle", Britney Spears' Neptunes produced "Slave", or anything produced for Madonna by William Orbit for far more progressive and successful attempts at integrating DSP (Digital Signal Processing) techniques into music]. Reich and his engineers should understand that these audio effects are not an end in and of themselves, and it shows little respect for the listener to try to pass these off as such.
The greater failing of Three Tales is the video component produced by Beryl Korot. I want to write only a few words on this piece as I have already spent more time on this review than a first grader with iMovie would require to reproduce Ms. Korot's cut and paste disaster. In my life I have watched my father slowly succumb to bone cancer, I see daily attrocities broadcast on the television news and the uncut footage on HBO or the internet. Yet, not for its content but for its design Ms. Korot's video for Three Tales is perhaps the worst thing ever to have struck mine eyes.
Free Music Review: Revolutionary experimental music + video by Steve Reich & Beryl Korot
Hit: 5 Stars
Love it or not, Reich's music is STILL revolutionary. The sort of art that's going to draw public scorn and praise -- choose your side. The piece called DOLLY ... wow, one of the most amazing music videos ... brilliant, I thought. Included in DOLLY's cast of characters: Freya von Moltke, 'Kismet', Ruth Deech, Richard Dawkins, James D. Watson, Gina Kolata, Steven Jay Gould, Jaron Lanier, Sherry Turkle, Rodney Brooks, Steven Pinker, Robert Pollack, Adin Steinsaltz, Kevin Warwick, Joshua Getzler, Ray Kurzweil, Cynthia Breazeal, Bill Joy, Marvin Minsky, Henri Atlan. If you're bothered by strange editing, visual treatments and sonic processing as "something must be wrong with my CD/DVD player!" then perhaps this music + video is not for you. I'm giving this five stars just for DOLLY! I also enjoyed the other pieces: HINDENBURG, and BIKINI, though a little less. If you're a serious Steve Reich fan, this recent music + video work by Reich and Korot should certainly NOT disappoint -- however, be warned -- this is NOT '18 Musicians' or 'Desert Music' ... more like 'Different Trains' ... experimental and revolutionary.Free Music Review: Try again, it's all there and good, I promise
Hit: 5 Stars
Just because you do not like "Three Tales" does not mean that "Three Tales" sucks. You were expecting "Music for 18 Musicians-the sequel", maybe? This is a different kind of music.
To be honest, at first, I did not at all care for the music or the video. Then really, honestly went back and listened to the music. When you listen to what's actually going on, and shut your mind up, you will discover something incredible. You could of course continue thinking that "Three Tales" sucks. Good for you. But you're really missing out on one of the most interesting and spectacular works in recent times.
Free Music Review: Listen again (don't listen to the frisbee)
Hit: 5 Stars
Three Tales is astounding and beautiful. The way in which it covers the material is incredible.
The tragic sound of "Captain Ernst Lehman gasped".
The mechanic and maniacal music of "is designed to measure the effects on metal, flesh.." Man, it's eerie - the sound of the music is perfect.
The interviews of "Dolly" - man oh man, the music is extreme, reverent in places, dancing in others, introspective and yet so outward and foward looking.
I feel the Hindenberg crashing down. I feel the nervous anxiousness, the lies and deception in the Bikini Atoll. The microprocessor, the brains, the computer synaptic somatic chatter, a cloud of stars washing me as I listen to the interviews in "Dolly".
In short, this music is so wonderfully evocative of the subject matter. Don't listen too hard to those who would tell you rubbish of "Three Tales". Listen with an open mind - you just might hear the music that Steve Reich wrote.