2010 Projects: Terry Riley's 'In C'
30 October 2010
Conducted by Brian Irvine
Performed by instrumentalists from the South Ulster Youth Orchestra (Southern Education and Library Board Music Service) and singers from Dundalk Institute of Technology
In 1964 Californian composer Terry Riley launched what is now known as the minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic ‘In C’. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns, whereby all performers play from the same page of 53 melodic patterns. Each pattern is played in sequence and every performer has the freedom to determine how many times a pattern is repeated before moving on to the next – making each performance truly unique. The piece’s impact was to change the course of 20th Century music and its influence has been heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams.
To mark Terry Riley’s visit to Belfast as part of the 2010 Belfast Festival at Queen’s composer/conductor Brian Irvine led a series of workshops to create a unique performance of 'In C' by sixty young instrumentalists and singers from South Ulster Youth Orchestra and Dundalk Institute of Technology Music Department.
With infectious enthusiasm Brian Irvine invited the audience members to move freely among the musicians while the piece was performed immersing themselves in the ever changing sea of sound and creating a truly innovative, interactive and memorable performance of the work.