You Are (Variations)

Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, with Grant Gershon conducting

Steve Reich has a signature sound and it’s all over this work in the same way a master painter can often be ID’d by his brush strokes. We can anticipate how he’ll move through the music well enough to take pleasure when he does what we expect and then get a little giddy when he trips us up a little. The harmonies and the rhythmic pulls on display here are a picture of Reich at his craft (I only hesitate to say “height” as this work did not supplant my personal Reich favorites). If you’re wondering how you might get similar results, you might take Reich’s example. He tells Tim Page in the booklet notes, “I just set out to have a good time composing…Sometimes when you start off doing what you know how to do, it can lead you to things you never knew you knew how to do!”

—MS