Steve Reich: Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer

Dive into the latest sonic exploration from the legendary minimalist composer Steve Reich with "Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer," set to release on March 14, 2025, via Nonesuch Records. This captivating album presents the first recordings of Reich's two most recent compositions, offering a profound journey through the realms of minimalism, avant-garde, and classical music.

The album opens with "Jacob's Ladder," a five-movement work inspired by the biblical story of Jacob's dream. Each movement is a meticulously crafted exploration of sound and spirituality, with titles drawn directly from the biblical text. The piece is performed by Synergy Vocals, who bring their signature precision and expressiveness to Reich's intricate compositions.

Following "Jacob's Ladder" is "Traveler's Prayer," a piece that draws on Reich's signature style of phase shifting and rhythmic complexity. This work, performed by Colin Currie and the Colin Currie Group, showcases the composer's enduring fascination with the interplay between tradition and innovation.

The album is a testament to Reich's ongoing evolution as a composer, blending his iconic minimalist aesthetic with new sonic textures and structural innovations. With a total runtime of just over 30 minutes, "Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer" is a concise yet powerful statement from one of the most influential composers of our time.

The release is accompanied by extensive liner notes featuring essays by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and composer Nico Muhly, providing valuable context and insight into Reich's creative process. Whether you're a longtime fan of Steve Reich or a newcomer to his music, this album is sure to captivate and inspire.

Steve Reich, born in New York in 1936, is a pioneering American composer renowned for his groundbreaking work in minimalist music. Often hailed as "America's greatest living composer" and "the most original musical thinker of our time," Reich's compositions are characterised by their use of repetitive patterns, slow harmonic changes, and intricate canons. His innovative approach, as articulated in his essay "Music as a Gradual Process," focuses on making musical processes perceptible, allowing the listener to experience the evolution of sound over time. Reich's early works, such as those that employ phase shifting, create mesmerising new musical patterns through the subtle manipulation of tempo and timing. Throughout his career, Reich has explored a diverse range of influences, from Western classical music to non-Western traditions, resulting in a rich and varied body of work that continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide.