Bang on a Can attacks In C, the first piece of musical minimalism (born, according to the composer, “on a spring night in 1964”) with incredible precision and fire. This performance, featuring an augmented version of the fearless Bang on a Can All-Stars, is a testament to the work’s continual freshness. The group reads the work its own way, imposing the “Bang on a Can” rock-influenced post-minimalist sound while treating the score with the reverence that any chamber music group would treat established concert music.
In a composition where the performance becomes the piece–very little is indicated in the score aside from 53 melodic patterns to be played over a constant high C octave on the piano–these players give an intelligent and admirably precise reading. Compared to the disorganized CBS recording, led by the composer, or to the mockery of a hyper-raga found on the Boudreau issue on the ATMA label (which seems determined to bring out the non-existent psychedelic notions in the piece), this is as studied a performance as you are likely to find. For some who admire the CBS version, the one presented here might well be a distortion of the work’s “free” spirit, but its accuracy and sense of motion make it a welcome addition to the In C performance catalog. Bang on a Can treats it as a multi-mood work, allowing for the fact that within static elements, variety can be found. The piece moves from menacing to pensive to ebullient while retaining its “flatline”, meditative quality.
Though the same can be said of any authoritative performance of any great work, the notion that you get something new on each listening is especially true of this version. In C is for the listener as much as it is for the player, and an impressive performance such as this one allows everyone a chance to fully experience it.
