Terry Riley interpreted in a rocking way
The Young Gods interpreted Terry Riley's "In C" with various other ensembles. They then recorded it as a trio in a single session.
Immediately after publication of their last album In the spring of 2019 - after a nine-year radio silence, it was like a comeback - the Young Gods began to reunite with Terry Riley's minimal music evergreen In C to deal with it. This was apparently prompted by Benedikt Hayoz, the director of the long-established Fribourg brass orchestra Landwehr. This resulted in several interpretations of the piece together with other formations, for example alongside the Geneva-based contemporary music collective Ensemble Batida. The day before this concert, on October 21, 2021, the three gods - Franz Treichler (multi-instrumentalist, voice), Cesare Pizzi (sampler, computer) and Bernard Trontin (drums) - went to a studio in Geneva to record their own trio version in a single, intensive live session.
Composed in 1964, there are now dozens of recordings of this genre classic by ensembles as diverse as Piano Circus, Shanghai Film Orchestra, Acid Mothers Temple and Africa Express. It's no wonder: the composition consists of 53 phrases, ranging in length from half a beat to 32 beats. But how these are strung together and how often they are repeated is up to the musicians. Terry Riley does not even specify the number or type of instruments, let alone the length of the performance.
Many other interpretations allow the repetitions and the consistent rhythm to drift into a Zen-like serenity. In terms of instrumentation alone, the Young Gods tickle a much rockier dynamic and thus also unexpected new nuances out of the piece. The trio, who are perfectly attuned to each other, masterfully control the ups and downs of intensity and volume. The bulbous fullness of the electronic noises generates a sounding depth massage, percussive marimba riffs let playful cones of light flash through the undergrowth, the many finely chiseled details are never obtrusively thrown at our ears, but wait patiently until we finally discover them on the third, fourth or even fiftieth listen. The last minute of "Part 6" is worth the ticket alone. Conclusion: breathtaking.
The Young Gods: Play Terry Riley In C. Two Gentlemen TWOGTL 101 (2 Vinyl-LP + 1 CD)
