Steve Reich and Max Richter talk Radiohead and Radio Rewrite

13 February 2013, 12:42 | Updated: 15 February 2013, 13:26

Musical masterminds Steve Reich and Max Richter's latest projects have seen them both ‘re-imagine’ other people’s work – Vivaldi for Richter, and Radiohead for Reich. The two composers explore what it means to take inspiration from a wide range of musical styles, from rock to Baroque.

After meeting Jonny Greenwood at a festival in Poland and checking out Radiohead on the internet, Reich used two tracks as a standpoint for his latest piece Radio Rewrite: Everything in its Right Place and Jigsaw Falling Into Place. This is the third piece where he has taken direct inspiration from other music, making use of a surprising variety of different styles.

Fellow composer Max Richter met Reich when he was a member of the six piano ensemble, Piano Circus, and has recently 'recomposed' Vivaldi's Four Seasons. In this in-depth chat, the two composers explore how much Radiohead has made its way into Reich's latest piece:

"'The latter part of Everything in its Right Place, that pops up at one place, and I just thought 'Oh gosh, this is perfect, this is great', and it was clearly Radiohead," he said. "There was no master plan as to when they would emerge and when they wouldn't. It was an intuitively written piece."

Listen to Max Richter interview Steve Reich below

Radio Rewrite will be premiered on March 5 in London by London Sinfonietta, before the work is performed in Birmingham, Brighton and Glasgow.