The ensemble celebrates Steve Reich’s 90th birthday with a concert in the Symphony Hall next week
Auditorio de Tenerife welcomes the Colin Currie Group to its Symphony Hall on Wednesday 21 October at 7.30 pm. The acclaimed percussion ensemble is marking composer Steve Reich’s 90th birthday with performances of three of his works: Music for Pieces of Wood, Mallet Quartet and Drumming.
Described by Steve Reich as “one of the finest musicians in the world today” and by Gramophone magazine as “the pinnacle of contemporary percussion”, Colin Currie is a soloist and chamber musician renowned for his commitment to new music. A sought-after collaborator with leading conductors, he performs regularly with major orchestras and ensembles, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra.
With a particular focus on contemporary repertoire, Currie has established close working relationships with many distinguished composers. He has given premieres of works by Steve Reich, Elliott Carter, Louis Andriessen, HK Gruber, Sir James MacMillan, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Helen Grime, Jennifer Higdon, Rolf Wallin, Julia Wolfe and Kalevi Aho.
Alongside his solo career, Currie founded the Colin Currie Group in 2006. Celebrated for its virtuosity, the ensemble specialises in Steve Reich’s music; the composer has described its interpretations as “the best I’ve ever heard”. The group was assembled to perform Drumming at the BBC Proms in celebration of Reich’s 70th birthday.
Since then, the Colin Currie Group has performed Drumming and other works by Reich around the world, while broadening its repertoire to include compositions by Mark-Anthony Turnage, Steve Martland, Guillaume Connesson and Iannis Xenakis. In 2019, the ensemble made its Edinburgh International Festival debut, performing Sofia Gubaidulina’s Glorious Percussion with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets cost €15, or €5 for under-30s, and are available at www.auditoriodetenerife.com from the box office (Monday to Friday, 10.00 am–5.00 pm; Saturday, 10.00 am–2.00 pm) or by calling 902 317 327 during box-office hours. Further discounts are available, amongst others, for students, jobseekers and large families.