Steve Reich
Composer in Residence 2027
Hardly any living composer has had such a lasting influence on the music of recent decades as Steve Reich. The New York-born American, who will celebrate his 90th birthday on 3 October 2026, is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of minimal music and, with his unmistakable style, has redefined the boundaries between classical music, jazz, pop and contemporary art.
Even in his early works, Reich developed the compositional techniques that are now inextricably linked with his name. In pieces such as «Piano Phase» (1967), simple musical patterns give rise, through minimal shifts, to fascinating soundscapes of hypnotic power. Small changes give rise to complex rhythmic structures that release a unique energy. Works such as «Clapping Music» (1972) brought his music to the attention of audiences far beyond the classical avant-garde and are now regarded as key works of the 20th century.
Reich’s musical language draws on a wide variety of influences. Shaped by Johann Sebastian Bach and Igor Stravinsky, as well as by jazz greats such as John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, he created an entirely new sonic universe. His influence extends far beyond the concert hall: artists such as Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead and The National draw on his ideas. His work has also left a deep mark on other art forms, for example in the dance works of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker or in his collaboration with the painter Gerhard Richter.
At the same time, Reich’s music is always closely linked to his life story and the issues of his time. In works such as «Different Trains» (1988), he reflects on his Jewish heritage and combines personal memories with the historical experiences of the Holocaust. In «City Life» (1995), on the other hand, he transforms the sounds and rhythms of speech from his home city of New York into musical material, thereby creating a striking sonic portrait of urban life.
On 3 October 2026, Steve Reich will celebrate his 90th birthday. Grafenegg is honouring this anniversary and his extraordinary contribution to music history with a major programme centred on him as Composer in Residence for 2027. An exhibition, orchestral concerts, chamber music programmes and video works will offer a variety of perspectives on his oeuvre and demonstrate the enduring relevance of his music. At the same time, Reich is following in the footsteps of his predecessors as Composer in Residence: as director of the renowned «Ink Still Wet» composition workshop, he will work with young composers and share his experience and artistic ideas with the next generation of musicians.
With Steve Reich, Grafenegg honours an artist whose work has had a lasting impact on contemporary music history. His compositions combine intellectual clarity with rhythmic energy and an immediate emotional impact. To this day, they continue to inspire generations of musicians, composers and artists across a wide range of disciplines. Reich’s music demonstrates how simple ideas can give rise to a fascinating diversity – and why his influence on the world of music remains undiminished to this day.
Steve Reich in Grafenegg
A determined little melody repeats on the piano. Over and over again. Soon it blurs, casts a shadow, splits. A second piano joins in, playing the same melody, but gradually getting faster. Before long, the melodies diverge, unleashing a storm of sound from which ever-new, ever-different figures emerge. Welcome to Steve Reich.
«Piano Phase» (1967) is among the first pieces in which the currents of energy so typical of Steve Reich begin to flow: the simple multiplies, a minimal shift grows into a dense tapestry that shimmers with magnificent colors. Among other ensemble works, «Clapping Music» followed in 1972: Reich’s laid-back groove was on everyone’s lips.
As both composer and performer, Steve Reich became the most influential musician of American minimal music. He, who grew up listening to Bach, Stravinsky, John Coltrane, and Charlie Parker, would go on to inspire musicians and bands such as Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, and The National. In 1987, jazz-rock guitarist Pat Metheny recorded «Electric Counterpoint» for him – a recording in which nine versions of Metheny overlap. Choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker has translated Reich’s rhythms into the physical language of dance, while artist Gerhard Richter dedicated a series of paintings to him, from which the composition «Reich / Richter» (2019) emerged.
Steve Reich was born in New York in 1936 and studied, among other institutions, at the Juilliard School. The polyphony of the metropolis reverberates throughout his music, most vividly in «City Life» (1995): not only slamming car doors, honking horns, and sirens are woven into the music through sampling; snippets of conversations overheard from passers-by are also transformed into musical material through the distinctive melodies of their speech.
In the 1980s, Reich turned his attention to his Jewish heritage. In «Different Trains» (1988), he recalls the long train journeys he made between New York and Los Angeles from 1939 to 1942, where his divorced parents lived, while at the same time, in Europe, other Jewish people were being deported on other trains to extermination camps.
Grafenegg honours the composer on the occasion of his 90th birthday with a comprehensive retrospective. The Colin Currie Group, a percussion ensemble that has taken up the mantle of Steve Reich and Musicians, will be performing as guest stars. Colin Currie is one of the foremost interpreters of Steve Reich’s works. On 22 August, the programme will include the Austrian premiere of the commissioned work «In All Your Ways», as well as «Quartet» for two pianos and two vibraphones, dedicated to Colin Currie and also receiving its Austrian premiere. Three orchestral concerts will feature key works such as «Desert Music» and «Music for Ensemble and Orchestra». The Klangforum Wien will perform «Different Trains» and «Reich / Richter». Reich will also work with young composers as director of the renowned composition workshop «Ink Still Wet», sharing his experience and artistic ideas with the next generation of music-makers. From 19 June 2027, the Reitschule will present the exhibition «It’s All A Phase», featuring photographs and videos, scores and notes from Steve Reich’s eventful and artistically fascinating life.