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At nearly 90, Steve Reich is in the autumn of his composing career. Even at this age his music is as recognisably Reich as it ever was and yet it has gradually acquired the feeling of a spiritual quest and there is a deep sense of calm self-assurance.
Biblical references lie behind these two most recent works, which are receiving their first recordings. Traveler’s Prayer, for 11 instrumentalists and four singers, was given its premiere in 2021, and Jacob’s Ladder, also for four singers but a slightly larger ensemble, in 2023.
The similar line-up of performers suggests that they might sound the same, but that is not case. The more sensuously beautiful Jacob’s Ladder (shades of Music for 18 Instruments) contrasts restless activity in the instruments against voices that are slow-moving, as though outside time. They sing lines from Genesis while the instruments describe angels moving between heaven and earth. The Synergy Vocals ensemble and the New York Philharmonic are conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
The shorter Traveler’s Prayer, composed during the pandemic, is impressively darker and more pensive. Reich says that the events of that period increased the gravity of the texts, three short Biblical extracts. The contrapuntal complexity in his writing for the voices adds intellectual ballast. The Colin Currie Group is again paired with Synergy Vocals.
At just over half an hour, this disc of Reich’s latest work is short and to the point. The artwork on the physical disc is by the composer’s wife, Beryl Korot.
★★★★☆
‘Reich: Jacob’s Ladder and Traveler’s Prayer’ is released by Nonesuch