Terry Riley: A Rainbow in Curved Air

Musrara Modern Ensemble specializes in contemporary instrumental music. The Ensemble performs canonical works from the second half of the 20th century and the 21st century on various instruments and in different combinations. 

The ensemble is proud to open Musarra Mix 2024 with Terry Riley’s “A Rainbow in Curved Air” from 1969, originally for keyboard and percussion instruments. The original recording of the piece made an innovative use of overdubbing on eight-track recorders, with the composer playing various instruments and using modal textures rooted in Hindustani classical music, jazz improv, minimalist motifs, and more. 

In the live version at the festival, the Ensemble members present their own contemporary interpretation, inspired by the original recording and the enigmatic graphic score that accompanies the piece, as they constantly invent and balance the improvised with the predetermined.