Music Arcades: Steve Reich: Daniel Variations (Ensemble Modern)

Another review copy from Lucy's office (as with Pagina de Buenos Aires and The Knee Plays). Just a CD in a plain cardboard slipcase. I can understand part of the thinking of that: the reviewer can't just offload it on eBay or Amazon Marketplace and pocket the proceeds. On the other hand, it's missing the very element that I would need most to write a review: all the stuff that you usually get in a CD booklet about the origins and thinking of the piece, and the performance credits. I guess there was a press release that I missed.

So I'm left with just Wikipedia to go on. That tells me it was premiered at the 2006 Reich festival (but not one of the performances I went to at that festival).

I listened yesterday, taking the day off work to looking after the Boy, who was sick with a virus and lying exhausted on my chest. Though one of his names is Daniel, My Name is Daniel… failed to rouse him. And failed to rouse me, too, reminding me too much of my not-so-favourite Reich pieces from the eighties, Tehillim and The Desert Music.