Grand Street Counterpoint

by Rebekah Heller

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about

Originally composed in 2003, "Cello Counterpoint" has been described by Steve Reich as "one of the most difficult pieces I have ever written, calling for extremely tight, fast moving rhythmic relationships not commonly found in the cello literature."

Rebekah Heller puts that assessment to the test in her arrangement of the piece for multitracked bassoons, reconfigured here as "Grand Street Counterpoint." Co-produced with the composer, the recording captures a lively, kinetic energy that sheds new light on the original.

The piece is in three movements; fast, slow, fast. The first and last movements are both based on a similar four-chord cycle that moves ambiguously back and forth between C minor and E flat major. This harmonic cycle is treated extremely freely however, particularly in the third movement. The second, slow movement, is a canon in E flat minor involving, near the end of the movement, seven separate voices.

Reich and Heller sparked their collaboration back in 2018, when they realized they were neighbors. Heller had long been a huge fan of Reich’s music, and became deeply interested in finding a way to perform his music as a solo bassoonist. "Cello Counterpoint" seemed like a natural fit for both the register and expressive qualities of the bassoon, and Heller began her exploration of this arrangement in earnest when the 2020 pandemic paused the world.

credits

released May 3, 2024
Composed by Steve Reich
Arranged for bassoons by Rebekah Heller
Co-produced by Rebekah Heller and Steve Reich, Spring 2024

All bassoons played by Rebekah Heller
Engineering, Mixing, and Mastering: Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio
Cover art by Ernesto Eisner

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Rebekah Fawn Heller New York, New York

Virtuosic, classically-trained bassoonist and composer Rebekah Heller makes genre-bending music using her bassoon and voice.
More info at rebekahheller.com

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