Terry Riley: The Columbia Recordings album review – early masterworks from a founding father of minimalism

(Sony Classical)Nothing can surpass the originality of 1968’s In C, repackaged here with three other discs to mark the composer’s 90th birthdayRegularly cited as one of the three founding fathers of minimalism alongside Steve Reich and Philip Glass, Terry Riley was 90 in June. His birthday is belatedly being marked by Sony Classical with a repackaging (with all the original sleeve notes as well as new material) of the four albums that Riley recorded for the Columbia label in the 1960s and 70s and which made his name internationally. The first two of them contained what have remained his most celebrated works: In C was recorded in 1968 with a seven-piece ensemble overdubbed to create 25 instrumental voices in the final mix, and A Rainbow in Curved Air appeared the next year, with Riley himself playing a variety of keyboard instruments. After In C, Riley was signed up for a three-record deal that began with A Rainbow, but the following two discs have been less influential: Church of Anthrax was a 1971 collaboration between Riley and John Cale, while Shri Camel, another solo effort from Riley, dates from 1977 but was not released until 1980.If listening to these works again reinforces admiration for In C, even though some later recordings of what is now a seminal work are tauter and more incisive than this original, it suggests that nothing in Riley’s later works possess anything like the same originality and raw rigour. Even A Rainbow, with its layers of decorative improvisation, seems self-indulgent now, and nothing on the other two albums is any more impressive. The set is a reminder that the historical importance of Riley’s early music is undeniable, but how much of it deserves our attention now is more debatable. Continue reading...

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