Riley Shows His Range

Renowned composer Terry Riley uses the sound of children's toys and the spirit of Native American rituals in his latest work The Cusp of Magic. Ironically it is one of his most accessible works to date.

By Charlie Richards

Composer Terry Riley is a bit of a living legend. As one of the foremost leaders of the minimalist school, he's interacted and associated with many of the major names of modern classical and avant-garde music, including La Monte Young and South Asian Kirana master Pandit Pran Nath. At 72, his music is enjoying a renaissance among young listeners. Reissues of some of his earlier works, such as Poppy Nogood and Les Yeux Fermes (both available on Elysian Fields) are now available on CD, and his latest work The Cusp of Magic hit record stores on February 5.

The Cusp of Magic was written for and recorded by Riley’s long-time collaborators the Kronos Quartet (who also have a certain legendary status among the cutting edge crowd) and the distinguished pipa virtuoso Wu Man. The pipa, a lute-like Chinese instrument, features prominently throughout, making Cusp unique among Western works. The Cusp of Magic, which astrologically is the week between Gemini and Cancer, patterns itself after the Native American peyote ritual in which each musician makes an individual contribution to the ceremony.

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