Alarm Will Sound & Ossia, Alan Pierson - Steve Reich: Tehillim, The Desert Music (2002)

The young, New York-based Cantaloupe Music (affiliated with the founders of Bang on a Can) is quickly building quite a discography. The catalogue traverses both premiere recordings, such as Evan Ziporyn’s stunning This is not a Clarinet–a disc that ranks as an absolute must-hear and one of the most exciting releases of recent years–and items very familiar to contemporary music fans (Terry Riley’s In C). Although any record company venture is an inherent gamble, there’s a particular risk for such a tyro label to issue already-recorded works. Take as an example de Leeuw’s Tehillim for Nonesuch, or Steve Reich’s own 1982 reading for ECM, which has been the standard-bearer for a generation. Why go at this same work yet another time?

Well, in the case of Alan Pierson’s version with the ensemble Ossia, the answer is simple. Not only does he have a new perspective to offer, but he and his forces better Reich’s recording. (It’s worth noting as well that Pierson made a change to Reich’s original instrumental arrangement; it is the same as the composer’s chamber version of the piece, but adds a second string quartet.) Pierson’s comfort and self-assuredness in these works are obvious. The vocals (featuring high soprano Elizabeth Phillips and lyric sopranos Akiko Fujimoto and Carolyn Dorey) are more confident and sure-footed–an achievement considering all the leaps Reich demands. Cantaloupe’s brashly forward, bright sound also is miles above ECM’s comparative dimness. The rhythms are vigorous and yet never sound mechanical (as in de Leew’s version). Perhaps the most interesting result of all of these changes is a shift in the overall mood of the piece: whereas the ECM recording conjures a hypnotic feeling, this is pure ebullience–entirely fitting for the Biblical texts of praise used in Tehillim (“Psalms”).

The Desert Music also is transformed. As with Tehillim, this piece exists in two versions, one for a chamber-sized ensemble, the other for symphonic forces. Unlike Tehillim, which is best known in its smaller arrangement (but can be heard in its orchestral form in a flat and disappointing performance with Zubin Mehta on the New York Philharmonic’s 10-disc “American Celebrations” set), The Desert Music probably is most familiar in its larger setting, on a recording with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Brooklyn Philharmonic (Nonesuch). With Reich’s permission, Pierson prepared his own edition of the piece that combines elements of Reich’s two versions–in short, it’s Reich’s chamber arrangement with seven brass players added–and Reich is happy enough with it to declare this the new standard chamber version. Played by Alarm Will Sound and Ossia, Pierson’s arrangement is broadly textured yet retains a certain intimacy that fits well with the William Carlos Williams poetry used here. As with Tehillim, the tautness, freshness, and enthusiasm in this recording casts a new light; here, the piece’s vibrancy and lightness is remarkable. All around, it’s a superb release, one in which Cantaloupe’s gamble has paid off handsomely.

Review by Anastasia Tsioulcas, ClassicsToday

Exact Audio Copy V1.1 from 23. June 2015

EAC extraction logfile from 9. August 2016, 22:28

Reich, Steve / Tehillim, The Desert Music

Used drive : PLEXTOR CD-R PREMIUM2 Adapter: 5 ID: 1

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 30
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : Yes
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Installed external ASPI interface
Gap handling : Appended to previous track

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 896 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "PERFORMER=%albuminterpret%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "COMMENT=EAC Secure Mode, Test & Copy, AccurateRip, FLAC -6" %source%


TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 11:13.10 | 0 | 50484
2 | 11:13.10 | 5:52.07 | 50485 | 76891
3 | 17:05.17 | 7:47.33 | 76892 | 111949
4 | 24:52.50 | 6:03.37 | 111950 | 139211
5 | 30:56.12 | 7:09.10 | 139212 | 171396
6 | 38:05.22 | 5:51.05 | 171397 | 197726
7 | 43:56.27 | 6:55.30 | 197727 | 228881
8 | 50:51.57 | 5:12.30 | 228882 | 252311
9 | 56:04.12 | 5:58.43 | 252312 | 279204
10 | 62:02.55 | 3:03.00 | 279205 | 292929
11 | 65:05.55 | 9:38.47 | 292930 | 336326


Track 1

Filename D:\EAC extraction\01 - Tehillim - I. Psalm 19; 2-5.wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00

Peak level 87.8 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 6B58219F
Copy CRC 6B58219F
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [0F1EB957], AccurateRip returned [678F17A5] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 2

Filename D:\EAC extraction\02 - Tehillim - II. Psalm 34; 13-15.wav

Peak level 89.1 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 33795BFA
Copy CRC 33795BFA
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [1C7A9B8E], AccurateRip returned [0DFC3883] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 3

Filename D:\EAC extraction\03 - Tehillim - III. Psalm 18; 26-27.wav

Peak level 57.9 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 131011B6
Copy CRC 131011B6
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [F6BDFA10], AccurateRip returned [85C9BEA5] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 4

Filename D:\EAC extraction\04 - Tehillim - IV. Psalm 150; 4-6.wav

Peak level 89.1 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 66CAF705
Copy CRC 66CAF705
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [BD6794D0], AccurateRip returned [DC278C85] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 5

Filename D:\EAC extraction\05 - The Desert Music - I. (Fast).wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:04.20

Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 114B2296
Copy CRC 114B2296
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [D77C4673], AccurateRip returned [965BC6D8] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 6

Filename D:\EAC extraction\06 - The Desert Music - II. (Moderate).wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 8FE6069A
Copy CRC 8FE6069A
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [39CBB62E], AccurateRip returned [64AD0A6A] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 7

Filename D:\EAC extraction\07 - The Desert Music - III. Part I (Slow).wav

Peak level 84.7 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 9264BEC7
Copy CRC 9264BEC7
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [B3BB355D], AccurateRip returned [7243DF90] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 8

Filename D:\EAC extraction\08 - The Desert Music - III. Part II (Moderate).wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 3BB950FC
Copy CRC 3BB950FC
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [05075F6E], AccurateRip returned [98626D67] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 9

Filename D:\EAC extraction\09 - The Desert Music - III. Part III (Slow).wav

Peak level 82.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC FB05498E
Copy CRC FB05498E
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [12E88851], AccurateRip returned [8051950B] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 10

Filename D:\EAC extraction\10 - The Desert Music - IV. (Moderate).wav

Peak level 99.8 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 46544469
Copy CRC 46544469
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [932188B4], AccurateRip returned [932E3C2E] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 11

Filename D:\EAC extraction\11 - The Desert Music - V. (Fast).wav

Peak level 90.9 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 4264C8E6
Copy CRC 4264C8E6
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 4) [EEC2D280], AccurateRip returned [4B32F1DC] (AR v2)
Copy OK


No tracks could be verified as accurate
You may have a different pressing from the one(s) in the database

No errors occurred

End of status report

–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.6

[CTDB TOCID: XYd_7_h2D3vy8AGGsh55fA21pYk-] found
Submit result: XYd_7_h2D3vy8AGGsh55fA21pYk- has been confirmed
Track | CTDB Status
1 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
2 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
3 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
4 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
5 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
6 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
7 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
8 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
9 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
10 | (3/3) Accurately ripped
11 | (3/3) Accurately ripped


==== Log checksum B6821C3D9FF18A23473E36FBEFEA92AA7C5C1C76204F8D27061477EA8B1EF281 ====

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-10-12 14:41:46

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Reich, Steve / Tehillim • The Desert Music - Alarm Will Sound & Ossia, Alan Pierson
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR13 -1.12 dB -16.82 dB 11:13 01-Tehillim - I. Psalm 19: 2-5
DR12 -1.00 dB -15.36 dB 5:52 02-Tehillim - II. Psalm 34: 13-15
DR12 -4.74 dB -22.56 dB 7:47 03-Tehillim - III. Psalm 18: 26-27
DR11 -1.00 dB -14.69 dB 6:03 04-Tehillim - IV. Psalm 150: 4-6
DR10 -0.50 dB -13.35 dB 7:09 05-The Desert Music - I. (Fast)
DR11 0.00 dB -13.38 dB 5:51 06-The Desert Music - II. (Moderate)
DR11 -1.44 dB -17.18 dB 6:55 07-The Desert Music - III. Part I (Slow)
DR9 0.00 dB -11.36 dB 5:12 08-The Desert Music - III. Part II (Moderate)
DR10 -1.72 dB -16.12 dB 5:59 09-The Desert Music - III. Part III (Slow)
DR10 -0.01 dB -12.57 dB 3:03 10-The Desert Music - IV. (Moderate)
DR10 -0.82 dB -14.12 dB 9:39 11-The Desert Music - V. (Fast)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 766 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================