Lost Property presents: Terry Riley at 80

A special event to celebrate Terry Riley’s 80th birthday opened with pieces from and inspired by the minimalist composer. ‘Coruscate to Figure’ by Daniel Mackenzie (organ) was a clear highlight, with gliding, drawn out viola playing (Maria Marzaioli) creating an elegiac mood reminiscent of an Edward Artemiev score. Duncan Harrison’s reworking of Riley’s R’n’B deconstruction ‘You’re No Good’ successfully reflected the hypnotic and repetitive elements of minimalism using intelligent live mixing of tape loops.

The second part of the evening was a stunning rendition of Riley’s landmark ‘In C’, where performers choose when to move from one motif to the next, and this performance was an utterly beautiful, beguiling, purely musical experience. The piece unfolded organically and melodically, shimmering at times, and somehow seemed able to appear well crafted in its ability to shift focus on different musicians over time. Special mention is due to the flute players (Chris Parfitt and Natalie Daly) in movingly accentuating the higher notes and also to the vocal work from Mary Hampton and Jo Burke, whose delicate harmonies and varied singing styles gave ‘In C’ extra colour to its sound world.

One Church Brighton, 27 June 2015

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