Few composers have reshaped the DNA of modern music as profoundly as Steve Reich. A pioneer of minimalism, he transformed the sonic landscape of the 20th-century with the hypnotic repeating patterns and steady pulse of his compositions. From his early experiments with 'phasing' – where two identical loops gradually drift out of sync – to his award-winning masterpieces Music for 18 Musicians and Different Trains, Reich has entranced listeners and inspired musicians across generations and genres. He appeared at Prague Sounds in 2014 alongside the Colin Currie Group at Forum Karlin - for many, one of the high points in our history. This year sees Reich turn 90 – and, as Prague Sounds itself turns 30, the festival presents a one-off programme you won't find on any other stage in the world: a coming-together of some of the most notable artists in contemporary music, some of whom themselves have appeared on Prague Sounds stages in previous years, to pay hommage to Reich.

The centrepiece of the evening is a special performance of Six Pianos, given by an 'all-star' ensemble of artists from the German neo-classical and electronica scenes, among them Daniel Brandt and Paul Frick, who performed with the Brandt Brauer Frick ensemble at Prague Sounds in 2022. The project is the brainchild of Gregor Schwellenbach, the composer and arranger who has worked with, among others, Lambchop and the London Symphony Orchestra.

´[Mivos Quartet are] one of America's most daring and ferocious new-music ensembles.'

Chicago Reader

Different Trains will be performed by New York's Mivos Quaret, who previously appeared at Prague Sounds with American rapper and poet Saul Williams in 2021. Steve Reich himself invited them to record all three of his string quartets on one album for the first time, and the composer was deeply involved in the project from start to finish. 

´[Six Pianos] 'an ensemble featuring, among others, members of chamber-techno upstarts Brandt Brauer Frick, offers a distinct perspective on this golden-era work by the minimalist master.'

Pitchfork

Agon Orchestra is one of the Czech Republic's most acclaimed and enduring new music ensembles, and in its 40-year history has performed in fifteen countries. Agon's association with the music of Steve Reich is a long and fruitful one - they have given Czech premiere performances of a range of his works, including Music for 18 Musicians and City Life - and it's the latter of these pieces they'll be returning to at this special concert: the domestic pioneers of Reich performance revisiting one of his key works.

Line-up

Mivos Quartet: 
Olivia De Prato – violin
William Overcash – violin 
Victor Lowrie Tafoya – viola 
Nathan Watts – cello 

Agon Orchestra:  

TBD 

Six Pianos Project: 
Gregor Schwellenbach – piano 
Paul Frick – piano 
Daniel Brandt – piano 
Kai Schumacher – piano 
John Kameel Farah – piano 
Benedikt ter Braak – piano 

Programme (all pieces by Steve Reich) 

Different Trains – Mivos Quartet 

City Life – Agon Orchestra  
Six Pianos – Gregor Schwellenbach et al