Terry Riley, In C

text

In C is one of the most enduring, intriguing and subtle compositions of the past forty years. It consists of 53 short melodic phrases, playable on any instruments and repeated by the musicians at will, without any harmonic development, to produce a mesmeric effect. Despite this deceptively simple structure, it is so versatile that it has a chameleon-like quality, sounding radically different when played with different instrumentations or intentions.

So, there is a rock sounding version, a jazzy version, an oriental version (by the Shanghai Orchestra with Brian Eno and Jon Hassell), a percussion version and so on. Terry Riley's own original 1965 version is by no means the best, these days sounding rather harsh and brittle. (I write as someone who has been known to have six different recordings of In C in my car CD cartridge - a perfect antidote to London road rage.)

Within the parameters of the composition, Bang on a Can produce about as much variety and diversity of sound as possible. In particular, the low frequencies are excellent, with bowed bass underpinning everything. As such, this reading again reinvents In C, shedding new light on its possibilities. It is one of the best versions I have heard, and would be as good a place as any to start listening to In C or to Riley.