Minimal Weekend: the start of a three year journey exploring the influential Minimal composers of the ’60s: a genre that relies on repetitive patterns, pulses, and subtle changes in harmony. This spectacular weekend blasted off with a space themed epic from Brian Eno, and then took the audience on an epically themed, but musically minimal, voyage on spaceships to the Moon, trains through the War and ended up phasing back to where it started again with Phillip Glass’ ‘Icarus at the Edge of Time’ – an audio-visual treat for the whole family that didn’t fly too close to the Sun.
The Moon was the first goal on Friday evening though, with a rare performance of Brian Eno’s 1983 work “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks” by musical group Icebreaker. This music was originally made to accompany the film ‘For All Mankind’ – an 80s montage of previously unseen Moon landing footage projected on large screens behind the band. It’s a varying ride of emotions: the gorgeous preparation and blast off scenes; the chilling moment the craft land on the Moon and the American flag is planted, accompanied by humming synths; and the odd zero-gravity country and western slide guitar as the astronauts bound comically about the Moon like it’s a rom-com, making a few of the audience giggle even though they knew the shouldn’t! It’s a beautiful, slightly absurd, yet inspirational concert.
The next day, after recovering from last night’s rocket fuel, we’re treated to a double concert from two of Minimal’s main exponents: Steve Reich and Phillip Glass. Steve Reich’s ‘Different Trains’ is first up, performed by the Smith Quartet, accompanied by two other quartets on a pre-recorded tape [a technique Minimal composers are fond of]. It’s a piece of three parts, beginning with the rousing ‘America Before The War’ with pulsing rhythms, sampled voices and recurring melody that make a rushing, vibrant track. This then quietens down for the more melancholy ‘Europe During the War” which is much more dramatic , and with the violence of the strings and samples of lyrics like “They shaved us / They tatooed a number on / our arm” is almost terrifying. The piece end tentatively with ‘After the War’ rising slowly, hopeful yet scared. Despite being musically minimal – there is a lot of repetition – it really does paint the picture of trains and war.
Phillip Glass’ ‘Music With Changing Parts’ is different however. Musically, it is similar: repeated patterns and phrases that change and blend, subtly shifting and phasing in and out of each other. But it is not music to paint a picture or emotion – it almost seems more like a science experiment. Played once again by the Icebreaker collective who utilise panpipes, synths, midi clarinets and many more instruments, this piece constructs patterns, builds them up, then smashes them down, only to start again, ending rather abruptly. It is very hypnotic, putting some audience members into an almost trance like state – much the same the way repetition is used in dance music. Although it lacks the emotion of ‘Different Trains’, Phillip Glass’ experimental music is very interesting, and clearly paved the way for a lot of the music we dance to in clubs like Optimo today.
PART 2
Steve Reich isn’t completely adverse to a bit of science either, as Sunday goes to prove with his piece ‘Violin Phase’ in the Royal Concert Hall. In this composition, a soloist plays to a backing track of almost the same music, but a fraction of a second slower. This makes the piece go in and out of phase. Despite this science though, it’s quite emotionless, and also difficult to listen to. His next guitar piece ‘Electric Counterpoint’ is much better though, played by a virtuoso classical guitarist, it’s repeated patterns build up with occasional and powerful strummed chords giving the image of walking along a beach with blue waves rolling in one after the other, just after surviving World War III with friends; the feeling immense fear, joy, peace, hopefulness and timidity all rolled into one beautiful composition. ‘Vermont Counterpoint’ is the last piece from SR, played by one of the most eccentric performers yet. An expressive flutist with short curly red hair and a colourful Japanese silk top carefully strings together many melodies and patterns on the flute that sound like lots of DNA being mashed together at the very creation of life on Earth. This and the next piece by Phillip Glass show how to mix science and music perfectly, creating an amazing emotional experience for the listener.
Closing the Minimal Weekend is Phillip Glass’ ‘Icarus at the Edge of Time’: a fusion of space age – trippy cinematics, rousing music from a full orchestra, and narration from Billy Boyd of Hobbit fame. This epic tells the story of a boy genius trapped on a space ship with no hope of ever seeing Earth, or his destination, as he is a link in the chain of many ancestors who are required to man the craft in its five-hundred year journey. Enraged by this, he takes his chance to make history by flying a shuttle close to a black hole; only to find out upon his exit that time slowed down when he was in there and it’s now 10,000 years later on! It’s a fascinating tale well told, completely engrossing adults and children alike. It also goes to show the Minimal composers love of science, journeys and looking to the future; thus a fitting and very entertaining conclusion to the weekend. And with three more years of works like this planned for Glasgow, the Minimal future is worth looking forward to.