Steve Reich at 90: Electric Counterpoint and Beyond

Thomas Schuttenhelm is performing at Parkway Central Library on Monday, October 19, at 6 PM. The recital is presented by the library's Music Department and is built around the work of American composer Steve Reich, who turned 90 on October 3. Schuttenhelm will be on guitar, with backing tracks provided by Trevor Babb.

Reich is one of the pioneering figures of the minimalist movement that took hold in the 1960s and 70s, and his music has left a mark on composers and musicians as different as John Adams, Julia Wolfe and Brian Eno. Electric Counterpoint appeared in 1987, when Pat Metheny layered electric guitars and basses over Reich's rhythmic counterpoint; it's since become one of the defining works of the modern guitar repertoire. That's the piece that gives the evening its title, and it's the one Schuttenhelm is centering the program around.

It's not all Reich, though. The recital also features solo guitar music by Quinn Collins, a Philadelphia composer, so you'll get a local voice alongside the minimalist classic. The whole thing is presented by the Free Library of Philadelphia's Music Department, and it's open to adults, young adults and seniors.

If you're planning to go, the details are straightforward: it's Monday, October 19, starting at 6 PM in the Parkway Central Lobby of the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.