31 December 2010
San Jose Mercury: Top classical CDs of 2010
by Richard Scheinin
original link
Steve Reich: "Double Sextet" and "2 x 5" (Nonesuch). The joyful jangle of urban living is what streams through Reich's "Double Sextet," which won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2009 and is performed here by the group eighth blackbird. But I'm even more taken with "2 x 5," performed by members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars: electric bass, drums, two electric guitars and piano. The rhythm section drives the piece and Reich's formal perfection opens up to reveal bubbling traces of rock and funk, Zappa and Steely Dan, stretchy reggae and bossa nova.
