Minimalist is the title selected for this entry-level issue devoted to the works of several prominent contemporary composers, each of whom belongs to the so-called minimalist movement. It’s very much a “toe in the water” affair–cheap enough so as not to dent your finances too much if you don’t like what you hear, and at the same time good enough in sonic and performance terms to do reasonable justice to the composers and music involved.
First up is John Adams’ Shaker Loops, and although it’s capably realized here by Christopher Warren-Green and his London Chamber Orchestra, this account hardly compares with Edo de Waart’s San Francisco Symphony version–a performance that should be investigated by anyone whose interest in Adams has been aroused by this Virgin disc. I’ve no hesitation in a general recommendation of all of de Waart’s Adams performances for Nonesuch: orchestral playing is superb, and recorded sound is excellent. Of course, the much larger SFSO string section is far better able to meet Adams’ demands, whereas Warren-Green’s forces at times sound as if they are under considerable pressure. Incidentally, it’s also worth mentioning Simon Rattle’s Adams disc (including a very exciting reading of Short ride in a fast machine–not included here) with the City of Birmingham Symphony on EMI as this, too, is a useful introduction to the music of this leading minimalist.
Alas, not all of the music on Virgin’s compilation is in the same class. Dave Heath’s The Frontier is turgid and meandering, and instantly forgettable. The two Philip Glass works, Façades and Company, are better, though I suspect that the constructivist approach will leave many inexperienced listeners bemused. Lastly, there’s a decent account of Steve Reich’s Eight Lines, completing a somewhat mixed minimalist concoction.
