Chekhov's Mistress
Come Out
This week’s events in Jena, Louisiana makes me think (among, sadly, other things) of Steve Reich’s piece “Come Out” which premiered at a benefit concert for the “Harlem Six” charged with committing a murder during the 1964 Harlem riots (in the retrial, all but one of the boys was acquitted). One of the defendents was Daniel Hamm, whose voice makes up the primary driver of the piece.
Play “Come Out” at the Carnegie Hall Website »
Much of Reich’s work has a social conscience, for example, “Different Trains,” about the Holocaust, “Daniel Variations,” about Daniel Pearl, or “Three Tales (Hindenburg + Bikini + Dolly),” about the role of technology on society. Reich’s music has a percussive impact and is incredibly expressive even with minimal structure or words or sounds, so is well suited, in my view, toward music with a message. However, Reich insists on putting the music before any message, but I doubt the message would get across at all if the music didn’t have its own integrity.
Thinking of “Come Out” and this week’s events also reminds me, being that the piece and the events preceding it are about 40 years old, that time doesn’t heal all wounds and that some things just don’t change much.
comments
Thanks for posting this link to a very scary piece of music. If it weren’t for Reich’s music the story of the Harlem Six would be all but forgotten.
– poingu (09/24 at 11:02 PM)
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