#5021, Bang On A Can All-Stars Play Terry Riley's 'In C', From the 2025 Long Play Festival at Pioneer Works

From the New Sounds Live concert series, the Bang on a Can All-Stars and several special guests mark minimalist composer Terry Riley's 90th birthday with a performance of ‘In C’ from a May 2025 concert at Pioneer Works. 

Image: Bang on a Can All-Stars with special guests play Terry Riley's 'In C', Pioneer Works, May 2025 // Photo by Stephanie Berger

The influential American composer Terry Riley’s classic work In C is considered the first major Minimalist work. The piece is a set of 53 short musical fragments and a set of instructions on how to play them and move through them – and no two performances of this nearly 60-year old work are ever the same. From a 90th birthday spotlight-celebration of Terry Riley's music at Pioneer Works which was part of the annual Bang on a Can Long Play Festival 2025, hear Riley’s groundbreaking “In C” as played by the six-member amplified ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars, along with  special guests: Krishna Bhatt, Michael Harrison, Valentina Magaletti, Nicole Mitchell, Suphala, and Clara Warnaar, and Gyan Riley.  The performance lasted more than an hour, which won’t fit on this show, but there was a moment where the musicians broke from the instructions and played an Indian classical music interlude – something not officially part of the piece, which is included on New Sounds #5016.  - Caryn Havlik

Program #5021, Bang On A Can All-Stars Play Terry Riley's 'In C', From the 2025 Long Play Festival at Pioneer Works

ARTIST: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Gyan Riley, Mark Stewart, Krishna Bhatt, Michael Harrison, Valentina Magaletti, Nicole Mitchell, Suphala, Clara Warnaar, with Andy Cotton
WORK: Terry Riley: In C, opening [21:49]
RECORDING: New Sounds Live at Pioneer Works, May 2025
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available
INFO: https://pioneerworks.org

ARTIST: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Gyan Riley, Mark Stewart, Krishna Bhatt, Michael Harrison, Valentina Magaletti, Nicole Mitchell, Suphala, Clara Warnaar, with Andy Cotton
WORK: Terry Riley: In C [20:53]
RECORDING: New Sounds Live at Pioneer Works, May 2025
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available
INFO: https://pioneerworks.org

ARTIST: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Gyan Riley, Mark Stewart, Krishna Bhatt, Michael Harrison, Valentina Magaletti, Nicole Mitchell, Suphala, Clara Warnaar, with Andy Cotton
WORK: Terry Riley: In C, conclusion [9:06]
RECORDING: New Sounds Live at Pioneer Works, May 2025
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available
INFO: https://pioneerworks.org