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The Desert Music
Classical · 1985 · 5 tracks · 44m

The Desert Music

Steve Reich

A massive, shimmering collision of choral voices and orchestral pulses. Dense, rhythmic, and hauntingly beautiful music for the nuclear age.

December 11, 1985 · Nonesuch

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A relentless, shimmering intensity that balances mathematical precision with a haunting sense of existential urgency.

Tracklist · 5 Tracks · 44m
01
Mouvement I (fast)
7:19
02
Mouvement II (moderate)
6:25
03
Mouvement III (slow-moderate-slow)
17:11
04
Mouvement IV (moderate)
3:20
05
Mouvement V (fast)
10:05
Moments Worth Listening For
The sudden, jarring shift into the second movement where the pulsing woodwinds create a sense of urgent, breathless motion.
The way the female voices swell and interlock during the third movement, turning a single syllable into a shimmering wall of sound.
The final resolution where the dense orchestration thins out, leaving a haunting, solitary pulse that feels like a fading heartbeat.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does The Desert Music sound next to the rest of Steve Reich's catalogue?

Desert+4.0σ

Desert saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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