Terry Riley's 80th Birthday Season!

24th January 2014

Terry Riley, one of America's most beloved composers, celebrates his 80th birthday in 2015. As a founder of the minimalist movement, Riley's hypnotic and brightly orchestrated, Eastern-infused improvisations and compositions have influenced a large expanse of contemporary and popular music. His iconic work In C (1964) pioneered a new form in Western music based upon structured interlocking repetitive patterns.

Reflecting on his work, Riley comments,
I have always been attracted to the magical and the unseen forces that shape our lives. I view music as a powerful sound field complete with full intelligence; a gift from the universe that helps lift the veil to reveal the radiance in which the Mystery resides.

Known for compositions that embrace traditional ensemble forms as well as eclectic mixtures, Riley's oeuvre spanning five prolific decades offers the opportunity for a variety of programming possibilities. Some notable works from his catalogue are:

ORCHESTRAL WORKS
•  Halfwolf Dances Mad in Moonlight (1985), for string orchestra
•  The Sands (1991), for solo string quartet and orchestra
•  Deep Chandi (1998), for string orchestra and electronic percussion playback
•  Zephir (2009), for solo violin and orchestra
•  The Palmian Chord Ryddle (2011), for solo electric violin and orchestra

CHAMBER MUSIC
•  Salome Dances for Peace (1985-6), a two-hour cycle of five string quartets
•  Ritmos and Melos (1993), a trio for violin, piano, and percussion
•  The Heaven Ladder, Book 5 (1994), a four-hand piano work with folk influence
•  Mandala Miniatures (1999), a sax quartet with 16 brief and memorable movements

GUITAR REPERTOIRE
•  Ascención (1993) and Barabas (1995), solo works from The Book of Abbeyozzud
•  Y Bolanzero (2001), for 28 guitars using the North Indian Raga Madhuvanti
•  SolTierraLuna (2007), triple concerto for two guitars and violin with the well-known last
•  movement "Sarabande to Iraq"

PIANO REPERTOIRE
•  Keyboard Studies Nos. 1 and 2 (1965)
•  The Heaven Ladder, Book 7 (1994)
•  Be Kind to One Another (Rag) (2008)

We encourage you to look through our full catalogue of Riley's work to plan upcoming concerts and festivals throughout 2015. We are always happy to advise on programming choices and promote any concerts that feature his music, so please feel free to reach out to our promotion department directly.

Riley's works have been premiered, commissioned, and recorded by many prominent groups and prominent musicians such as Kronos Quartet, Rova Saxophone Quartet, ARTE Quartet, Array Music, Zeitgeist, Steven Scott Bowed Piano Ensemble, John Zorn, Sarah Cahill, Zakir Hussain, Pauline Oliveros, California E.A.R. Unit, guitarist David Tanenbaum, electric violinist Tracy Silverman, drummer George Marsh, bassist Bill Douglass, jazz bassoonist Paul Hanson, the Assad brothers, cello octet Conjunto Ibérico, Crash Ensemble, Abel Steinberg-Winant Trio, pianists Werner Bartschi and Gloria Cheng, The Amstel Quartet, Calder Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, Arditti Quartet, Amati Quartet, Alter Ego, Sounds Bazaar, Paul Dresher, Adrian Utley, SO Percussion, singer Amelia Cuni, electronic duo Matmos, Bang-on-a-Can All Stars, and guitarist Gyan Riley. We hope you too will take part in this exciting celebration!