Did you check out this week’s QOBUZ Album of the Weeh?

JOE HISAISHI CONDUCTS

STEVE REICH: The Desert Music

JOE HISAISHI:  The End Of The World

Futures Orchestra Classics; The Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo;
Joe Hisaishi - piano

The Reich piece is exceptional IMHO.  It is Reich minimalism at its best.  His repetitive structures, phasing techniques, and style are evident but in a more mature manner, with more harmonic chances to ease the minimalism repetitive boredom or frustration that can set in with some of his earlier works.  Admittedly, I have a preference for oratorios so this work is in my aural wheelhouse.   The course melodies are juxtaposed against the typical Reich dissonant orchestration with many minor second, dominant seventh and ninth, and cluster chord structures.  Rhythmic changes are fast pace.  The energetic interpretation by Hisaishi is executed with vigor by the orchestra and chorus.  The engineering complements  the vigor of the composition and performance.  I am usually not a DG fan,  viewing their reproduction of strings harsh in general.  Not so here.  But the real beauty of this recording is the exceptional clarity, dynamic range, deep and wide staging, dense imaging, and deep base with detail and impact (listen to the impact of the tympani with the skin and hammer evident).  Give it a try regardless of whether you love or hate Reich minimalism.  Don’t be afraid to set your gain to crescendos of 110db.  The recording deserves it, and the potential for hearing loss is worth the risk.