Colin Currie Group garners critical acclaim for performances at the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms
On 28 August, the Colin Currie Group gave the world premiere of Steve Reich’s latest work, In All Your Ways, at the Edinburgh International Festival. Just days later, they returned to the BBC Proms to perform Reich’s Tehillim, continuing their celebrations of the composer’s 90th birthday year.
The Colin Currie Group have garnered critical acclaim for their performances:
Reich In All Your Ways - Edinburgh International Festival:
“In its lightness and playfulness it was a delight, and the performance, under Currie’s incisive direction, was beyond praise.”
The Telegraph, August 2026
“It was music that was always on the way somewhere, and took a lot of sonic delight in getting there, even if its ever-changing rhythms and tempos set considerable challenges to Currie as conductor – which he more that rose to in a buoyant and unfailingly nimble account. Given universally crisp, committed performances, In All Your Ways was joyfully inventive, youthfully witty and – in its own way – quietly radical too.”
The Scotsman, ★★★★★ August 2026
“The Edinburgh Festival’s Reich portrait concert concluded with the world premiere of his latest work, In All Your Ways. The music was propulsive, using his established sound palette in different, and often audibly stereoscopic, ways… it is a major new piece. Reich is on record that Colin Currie Group plays his music as it should be heard, and this concert will live long in the annals of the Festival, and in the memories of those fortunate enough to be present.”
The Herald, ★★★★★ August 2026
“Double Sextet provided a virtuosic end to the first half, with the first movement surging out of the blocks like a tearaway train and the third movement forever straining at the leash... The second half began with Quartet, the musicians locked tightly together throughout, sculpting the music’s peaks and troughs with power, accuracy, and precision… In All Your Ways is a powerhouse of a piece that ranks alongside some of the composer’s other late masterpieces, such as Runner and Reich/Richter.”
Sequenza 21, August 2026
“The dialogue between strings and winds in Double Sextet was meticulously directed and beautifully balanced by Currie, and the two pianists put in an extraordinary shift over its 20 minutes or so... In Quartet, the dynamic empathy between the four, the cross-stage conversations and building intensity at the finale, marked out another brilliant example of the composer’s unique voice.”
Vox Carnyx, August 2026
Reich Tehillim - BBC Proms:
“Surely the year’s most atmospheric Prom. Colin Currie and his group have a long association with Reich and his music, and their performance here was authoritative: mesmeric, energised and finally ecstatic.”
Guardian, September 2026
“With Tehillim, it was clear why the Colin Currie Group is reckoned one of today’s definitive interpreters of the ever-expanding Reich catalogue… The joyous energy at the close was real.”
Classical Source, September 2026
“Colin Currie directed the ensemble with formidable zest and energy, enabling the intricate polyrhythms to bounce and allowing the voices to shine and dance above the instrumental texture… the prolonged ovation attested to the power and beauty of a major modern masterpiece, receiving an exhilarating first Proms performance forty-five years after its composition.”
Classical Music Daily, September 2026
Listen to the BBC Proms performance on BBC Sounds now.