Terry Riley: In C

Nostalgia for that unending pulse

Preamble - the wrong product description has snuck onto this page from a nearby alternative. Read for your own amusement.
I recommend to those who want to pursue the question of which "In C" to choose go over to the page for the Bang on a Can version, if only to read some other reviews that raise some significant issues. Among them: if one "learned" the piece in this version from 1968 (when major record companies were braver) and was like many others just bowled over by it, then you may consider it "definitive" -- and have kept it in your head -- much as your first exposure to a more traditionally notated piece that works for you may become frozen in the version you heard first.
Second, yes, I agree, this is first and foremost a performer's piece, a strangely introverted work that may seem to speak directly to its audience (the rules seem so simple), but still seems more about the interweaving of ensemble than aesthetic pleasure (as one reviewer says, one floats in and out while listening, i.e., is ruled by the trance element). "In C" is a improvisation within the tightest of boundaries, a pattern that happens to emulate the self-indulgence of bad soloing in jazz and popular music - audience thinks, come on, musicians, focusing on the movement to the next riff -- but the musicians think, wow, we've stayed in this cool riff combination for more than five seconds!
Someone also complained that the original sounds "too much like a gamelan." Well, that would make sense historically, wouldn't it, if you think of the principles behind Riley (and others' music), and the growing interest in "world music" in the 1960s, and the sheer coolness of the gamelan (well, I played in a few, so maybe I'm also coming from a limited viewpoint).
I haven't heard this transfer, and suspect that the weaknesses in the original recording are if anything more obvious -- the acoustic space always seemed noisy or cramped, and that high-pitched piano pulse never sounded too great. But maybe it just needs to be treated like a modern historical recording (that I happen to like, whatever the sound).
One disappointment, sadly - despite the all-star ensemble, the live recording on New Albion has strange balances, and the percussion really is too present at times. The breathing dropouts and articulation changes stick out as well; the relative murk of the original analog recording covers those moments better, and thus lends even more of a classic sheen to the 1968 recording. The Bang on a Can may end up in my player someday, I'll admit, however. April 6, 2008

Very important minimalist work

The compositional approach of Terry Riley and his pioneering minimalist work In C had a measurable impact on late 1960s and early 1970s musicians that wished to fuse more experimental styles with rock music. In fact, the Swedish group International Harvester is a pretty good example of this, not to mention some of the music of 1970-period Soft Machine.

Written in 1964 (Riley prepared a 53 figure score of sorts which is reproduced in the liner notes), In C is classified as an aleatoric composition; that is, the element of chance plays a significant role in determining what the musicians play. Based on what I have read, performances of In C can last from 15 minutes to two hours and the piece is intended for any number of performers; amateur and trained virtuoso alike.

On this 1968 recording, Terry performs with ten individuals from the Center for Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY (Buffalo, New York) and the performance lasts for approximately 42 minutes. Instrumentation includes saxophone (played by Terry Riley), bassoon, clarinet, oboe, viola, flute, trumpet, trombone, vibraphone and marimbaphone. Central to the performance is a piano part referred to as the "pulse" which is provided by Margaret Hassell. As described in the liner notes, the "pulse" consists of even octave eighth notes played on the top two C notes of the piano, which can clearly be heard at the beginning of the piece. The ensemble plays in sync with this pulse.

The composition itself consists of a dense and subtly changing ostinato network. That is, each performer repeats a single part that is gradually changed, which in turn cues the other performers to also subtly alter what they are playing. As can be imagined, this music takes a great deal of skill and a highly developed ability to listen to the other players. Really good performances can get fairly complex and consist of a writhing mass of ever-shifting ostinati. Although several versions of In C are floating around out there (ranging from one by Japanese psychedelic rock outfit Acid Mothers Temple In C to a version by Bang on a Can Terry Riley: In C), I have not listened to them - as such I can not gage the relative quality of this 1968 performance. Suffice it to say that the changes within this version of In C are subtle (yet exciting), and listening to the entire work requires great concentration and patience on the part of the listener.

While it is difficult to remain still amidst the furious bustle of 21st century living, e.g. kids, work etc... (even for 45 minutes), I found that making the effort was worth it. This album is very highly recommended along with A Rainbow in Curved Air (1969). Other influential minimalist composers include Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Lamonte Young.
January 13, 2008

fresh

I am not shure if any of the reviewers here are reffering to this recording... This is not the "original" recording of In C - this is a performance od Shanghai Film ORchestra, adding another two "eastern" compositions to the CD.

This performance is extraordinary, a flowing of soundscapes, real musical streams, In C sounds even more like some ethereal far-eastern music when played by all those chinese instruments and the other two compositions fit together with it perfectly. I think this is a really gorgeous contemporary music.

November 16, 2006

Still the Best Recording

Minimalism has produced five masterpieces: Philip Glass' "Music in Twelve Parts" and "Einstein on the Beach," La Monte Young's "The Well-Tuned Piano" (good luck finding that one!), Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians," and Terry Riley's "In C." Although there are several recordings of "In C", each with a different orchestration, this one is probably still the best recording after all is said and done. (I only wish Mr. Riley would make a much longer recording, AT LEAST two hours long.) December 29, 2005

Different but Classic

In C is a launch pad for a group of students form New Yock and is composed by the great Terry Riley.For some reason this album is good to listen to on a rainy day,the clutter of insterments playing and interweaving the musical bits and pieces together is soothing to. Also good to fall asleep on. For the length of the album it never gets tirering and the funny thing is the c note on the piano begins,plays all the way though and ends the piece but the string is broken.I recommend this to anyone wanting something new to listen to. July 1, 2005

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