Posts Tagged ‘terry riley’

Profile: Terry Riley

November 25, 2007


Born in Colfax, California, 1935.

This revolutionary composer proposed new ways of exploring the artificial labyrinth of sonoric patterns. Electric mantras cyclically weaved in search of transcending the usual dimensions of recorded sound. He is considered as one of the most significant contributors to the creation and development of minimalist music, which was based in a mixture-distortion of serialism, indeterminacy and, over all, (a)tonality.

During the 60´s and 70´s, Terry Riley became famous for his “all night flights” which included sonoric improvisations of Riley’s organ harmonium and tape-delayed saxophone playing non-stop sessions that lasted from eight to twelve hours.

Influenced by Karl Heinz Stockhausen, Riley has worked, among many others, with La Monte Young, Steve Reich, Rova Saxophone Quartet and John Cale. Big league musicians like Philip Glass, Toru Takemitsu, Kronos Quartet and Scratch Orchestra, have performed his compositions.

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