In C (1964)

Terry Riley (1935)

(for group of unspecified instrument)

In C, by the American composer Terry Riley, is often considered the first minimalist composition. Composed in reaction to the very complex and academic doctrines of the European serialists, this piece, in its formal approach, liberates the musical structure, offering players input into the process of composition itself. The performers, using a series of 53 musical segments, can enter and exit the phrases at will, and progress through the composition largely at their own pace with reference to the other members of the group. The piece, therefore, has no fixed duration and given that it will necessarily be different on each performance, is aleatoric in nature.

In addition to the characteristics above, the scoring for In C is open to the extent that any type of instrument may be used and that the piece can be performed with an indefinite number of musicians.

The indefinite group for this performance will be a mélange of Hard Rain Soloists and the talented players from the Ulster Youth Orchestra. Join us in performance at 6.30pm for an unmissable, zenned-out experience!