Steve Reich - Different Trains: America, Before the War

<p>Steve Reich is a legendary composer who was one of the pioneers of minimalism. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the New York Times called him “America’s greatest living composer.” I had the incredible honor of getting to speak to Steve Reich about his piece <em>Different Trains</em>, written for string quartet and pre-recorded performance tape. It was first performed in 1988 by the Kronos Quartet, and they released a recording of it in 1989, which won the Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. <em>Different Trains</em> is a piece about World War II and the Holocaust. It’s made up of three movements: America – Before the War, Europe – During the War, and After the War. For this episode, Steve Reich breaks down the first movement, which was inspired by his own childhood experiences.</p> <p>For more, visit <a href="https://songexploder.net/steve-reich" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">songexploder.net/steve-reich</a></p>