This Year in Classical Music: 1987

The year 1987 saw the achievement of myriad musical milestones: Aretha Franklin became the first woman to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the now-lauded musicals “Into the Woods” and “Les Misérables” first opened in Broadway theaters. Massive hits such as Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” were first released, and some stars of today’s music scene — such as Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean — were born. And classical music was part of this flourishing scene as well: While the minimalist school arguably reached some of its greatest triumphs, contemporary-classical composers also wrote incredibly poignant, powerful music. Here are some highlights.

Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint”

One of minimalist composer Steve Reich’s most enduringly popular works, “Electric Counterpoint,” was first recorded in 1987. Orchestrated for an ensemble of guitars — or, alternatively, for solo electric guitar and tape — the three-movement piece makes significant use of digital audio and equipment, in line with the advent of electronic music at the time. Indeed, Pat Metheny, the performer in the piece’s inaugural recording, overdubs his tracks several times to capture Reich’s minimalist yet contrapuntal intent.

Glass’s “Violin Concerto No. 1”

Philip Glass, another composer known best for his contributions to the minimalist school, composed Violin Concerto No. 1 in honor of his late father, who preferred the concerti of Romantic composers like Mendelssohn and Brahms. As such, Glass wrote the piece in a decisively more traditional, lyrical manner. Indeed, the Violin Concerto marked a turn in Glass’s work toward more traditionally and timbrally accessible music.

Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1”

Inspired by Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” written 45 years earlier, Joan Tower’s piece is dedicated to the conductor Marin Alsop. The work, written for brass and percussion, honors “uncommon women,” especially those like Tower and Alsop who have flourished in traditionally male-dominated fields. Tower went on to compose five more parts to the fanfare, finishing 10 years later in 1997.

Cage’s “As Slow As Possible”

“As Slow As Possible,” stylized “Organ2/ASLSP,” is an experimental work by composer John Cage for organ — there is no direct marking as to how slow the work should be played. As such, the length of the work can vary immensely in length. While typical performances of the piece at the piano last from between 20 to 70 minutes, many performances (especially at the organ) last far longer. “As Slow As Possible” is currently being played at the St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany; the performance began in 2001 and is slated to finish in 2640.

Though 1987 was also met with some ends in classical music — among them the deaths of composers Dmitri Kabalevsky and Morton Feldman, cellist Jacqueline du Pré, and violinist Jascha Heifetz — it simultaneously bore witness to many significant developments and milestones, serving as the precursor to the flourishing environment of today’s contemporary-classical universe.

—Staff writer Ian Chan can be reached at ian.chan@thecrimson.com.