Steve Reich's 1976 composition Music for 18 Musicians is a defining work not just in the composer's career but also in minimalism and new music. Its structure, at once simple and gorgeously complex, is built around contrasting pulses and a cycle of eleven chordal roots. The piece has been widely heralded and there have been four recordings of it prior to this release by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, including realizations by the Ensemble Modern and led by Reich himself. Which is to say, it's a bold piece to take on, not just for the complexity of the score but because of its iconic stature and for the fact that presumably "definitive" versions already exist.

Which isn't to say it shouldn't be taken on, and without new realizations, the piece would lose its breath. The Grand Valley ensemble, conducted by Bill Ryan, plays it with a slim 19-piece ensemble. (Reich has suggested that it should actually be played by more than 18 musicians to allow for the doubling of voices the score requires.) Their reading of it is pristine, almost stoic. In contrast to Reich's 1998 Nonesuch recording, it favors precision over warmth. What carries the 1998 recording is the voice of the bass clarinets (played by Leslie Scott and Evan Ziporyn), their vibrato mirroring the orchestral pulse yet serving as a voice for the piece - more so even than do the four vocalists. The reeds rise up, almost in spite of the metered music surrounding them. On the new recording, Ryan pushes the pulse without pounding it, focusing primarily on the mathematical juxtapositions.

Reich has called the Grand Valley recording "a gorgeous and stunningly accurate," which is high praise as well as a telling endorsement. What's most interesting about this new performance is how accurate it is. Ultimately it doesn't make it better than previous versions; it's heady, where previous versions have benefited from players relaxing into the atmosphere. But it's interesting to hear the piece so literally told.