Note: this piece was broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio
Borromeo String Quartet (photo by Christian Steiner)
Steve Reich is perhaps the preeminent composer living today. And one of his most heart-wrenching and affecting works is called Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape. It tells the story of Steve Reich’s early childhood — his train trips between the East and West coasts to visit his separated parents — and also of the train trips Jews were forced to take during the Holocaust.
The piece, commissioned by the Kronos Quartet in 1988, is notoriously difficult to play. But the Borromeo String Quartet has recently taken up the challenge. Jenny Attiyeh attended a rehearsal at the New England Conservatory, where the Borromeo is currently in residence.
Click here: 
to listen — (7 minutes) on ThoughtCast!
Click here: for a shorter version (4:30 mins.)
February 27th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Hello Jenny,
This is great!!
It was a pleasure to work together.
Nick
March 4th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
dear jenny,
thoughtcast.org is just wonderful…
thanks for the steve reich post.
all the best,
ralph li
April 13th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Dear Jenny
the Different Trains analysis was really excellent! Thank you very much!
I wish you all the best
Nancy
July 17th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Dear Jenny,
Thanks for a wonderful segment! I love Steve Reich, and I especially love his train piece. It was interesting to hear the process that goes into playing the piece. I especially enjoyed hearing the stripped down lyricism of each vocal recording and the way the musicians responded to the unintended melodic line that the vocal tracks created. The conceptual groundwork of the piece is as beautiful and chilling as the sound that it creates, moving from our romantic ideals of the train as remembered through childhood to the more horrifying uses of the train within history.
Thanks, Jenny, for reminding me just how rockin Steve Reich is!
Carolyn