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Jonny Greenwood plays bass in Reich's Pulse with the Hallé
Jonny Greenwood sat at the back of the Hallé with a bass guitar at the Bridgewater Hall on Friday 27 June, playing in Steve Reich's Pulse in an all-Reich concert that opened Manchester Classical, a weekend of more than a dozen concerts around the city. Richard Morrison of The Times watched him counting the bars of rest. Both he and Ivan Hewett of the Telegraph gave the night four stars, and both recalled that the admiration runs both ways, since Reich's 2012 Radio Rewrite is made out of Radiohead songs.
The percussionist Colin Currie directed. Hewett found Greenwood relaxed and unshowy in the bass part, heard a quiet joy in Pulse and called the whole hour engrossing.
Morrison liked the playing but was sorry that Greenwood's 15 minutes or so were all he played.
The programme
| # | Piece | Performers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clapping Music (1972) | Colin Currie and David Hext |
| 2 | Runner (2016) | Hallé, directed by Colin Currie |
| 3 | Pulse (2015) | Hallé, with Jonny Greenwood on bass guitar |
| 4 | Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings (2005) | Hallé, directed by Colin Currie |