On the occasion of the Ars Musica Festival with its focus on American minimalism, Ictus and the vocal quartet Synergy return to a great classic for what is sure to be an excellent performance, especially after working with the composer himself: ‘Music for Eighteen Musicians’ by Steve Reich (1976). A rich but crystalline musical texture – an interweaving of female voices, four pianos, an impressive battery of keyboard percussion instruments and two bass clarinets – gradually unfolds in the course of an hour, against the background of an irresistible stereophonic pulsation.

As an after-concert, the same day, in the Horta hall, another classic of minimalism will be performed: ‘A Rainbow in Curved Air’ by Terry Riley (1969). This little-known work is a little hippy gem for electric organ, soprano saxophone and percussion, its motifs swirling to the point of vertigo in the echo chambers.