Minimalists

Minimalism is arguably the most popular style of concert music that the late twentieth century has produced, appealing to the widest possible audience -- fans of rock, jazz and classical music. It is an ecstatic and vibrant movement, combining classical, popular and non-Western elements to create a style that restores the severed link between composer and audience. The movement is surveyed here from its beginnings, through a study of its principal American exponents -- La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass -- and on to the 'post-minimalism' of John Adams, Michael Nyman, Louis Andriessen and Arvo Part.