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Classical

One of the great contemporary symphonies: The Hallé – Desert Music, at Bridgewater Hall, reviewed

10 February 2024

9:00 AM

10 February 2024

9:00 AM

The Hallé – Desert Music

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Chineke!/Suganandarajah

Royal Festival Hall

Steve Reich describes his Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) as an attempt ‘to make music with the simplest possible instruments’. At the Bridgewater Hall five performers stood in a pool of light, each holding a pair of claves: plain sticks of wood. At first, unsurprisingly, it’s all about rhythm.

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