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This event is part of Minimal

Closing our long weekend of Minimalism, we bring together Philip Glass and Steve Reich one last time in yet another spectacular performance. For most of his writing career, Reich has created music for live soloist and tape – most of those pieces have been called his ‘counterpoints’, and they’re some of his most entertaining and accessible work.

Each one will be performed by a different, acclaimed musician: Electric Counterpoint with guitarist Allan Neave, Vermont Counterpoint with flautist Alison Mitchell. The resident visual artists at The Arches’ club night Death Disco, Pointless Creations will create a bespoke accompaniment to Reich’s Counterpoints inspired by the 1970s New York underground scene in which minimalism was born.

Violin Phase is Reich at his purest – twenty minutes of hypnotic, entrancing patterns for amplified violin played by Darragh Morgan – it just builds and builds.

Closing this concert, and the weekend, a performance of Philip Glass’s brand new work, Icarus at the Edge of Time for grown-ups narrated by actor Billy Boyd. Drawing on Brian Greene’s book about blackholes, string theory and relativity, Glass has fashioned a spectacular symphonic score, while hot video artists, Al and Al have created spectacular Hubble telescope inspired visuals to tell the tale.

Commissioned and produced by World Science Festival (New York) with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Southbank Centre (London) with the Royal Society. Co-commissioned by Associazione Festival della Scienza with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Glasgow’s Concert Halls.

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