5 Facts About Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians
- Reich recorded the piece over nine months, from April to December 1976.
- The album was released by ECM in April 1978, over a year after recording finished.
- The piece is scored for exactly 18 musicians, as the title states.
- It is one of Reich’s most famous and influential minimalist compositions.
- The work is built around a cycle of 11 chords that repeat and evolve throughout.