Mixed Bag
4
By TomDan
Jonny Greenwood's brilliant take on Electric Counterpoint gets all 4 of those stars -- dazzling and razorsharp, a fascinating and rewarding listen. The rest is just run of the mill Reich -- the Piano Counterpoint sounds as if Ms. Chow was nodding off at the keyboard, and Radio Rewrite sounds like pretty much everything else Reich has tossed off in the last twenty odd years. Disappointing, but not surprising.
A Mixed Bag
4
By RhapsodyinStu
Greenwood's recording of Electric Counterpoint is absolutely stellar: I prefer it over the Meheney recording. While playing just as technically solid, you are able to hear full chords a lot easier. What's more, the timbral shift gives the work a new light.
The Piano Counterpoint is a great recording, solid all around. That being said, it doesn't quite sparkle to me as the other Counterpoint works (perhaps this is because it is a transcription?).
I have the most trouble with the Radio Rewrite. In the process of taking inspiration from a group like Radiohead, I feel that Reich has gone too far down their road. Make no mistake: I am a huge fan of Radiohead and their work in a popular context. But their work doesn't sound like classical music. And I feel their work was worked with to an extent where this classical piece doesn't sound classical either.
Overall, I'm in agreement with Boolez: it's not quite what I wanted, but it's by no means terrible and is still worth a listen. And, as the other reviewer aptly put it: at least it's not Philip Glass!
I'd recommend buying it for the Greenwood alone.
Mixed feelings
3
By Boolez
The Radio Rewrite sounds like a sad attempt to reach back to his glory years. The performance by Chow and Greenwood are steller, but the production quality makes it sound too "popish", for lack of a better word. Reich was a pioneer of minimalism, but it seems as if he's run out of ideas. It's still a worth while disc to have. At least it isn't Phillip Glass. -Bz
