I will forgive music virtually any transgression, but I draw the line at boring. Sorry, guys. I think of minimalism as the aural equivalent of those autostereograms that were once popularized under the moniker Magic Eye - a bunch of shifting patterns that don’t make much sense unless you stare at them long enough. Getting there - before zoning out - is the part I haven’t figured out yet...

Based on the definitions of a melody repeated over and over, or a rhythm repeated over and over, Ravel's Bolero also comes to mind. Or, perhaps the scherzo from Bruckner's 8th.

My absolute favourite work of Glass’ is his violin concerto. I just love that wood block in the finale! His piano etudes are great fun too.

Thanks for a really wide-ranging talk. I'm not sure if you know that I participated in Canto Ostinato's first New York performance, with four pianos, even! If you want a (relatively) short version pared down to a single piano, look for the recording by Ivo Janssen. The physical CD on VOID classics may be hard to source, but you easily can find it on KZread or Spotify.

The Polish master Henryk Górecki did wonderful minimalist orchestral and choral works

A great talk, I immediately dusted off my album of “A rainbow in curved air” by Terry Riley.

I dismissed the genre until I was taken ( against my will) to SATYAGRAHA (Glass) in Chicago and was CLUBBED SENSELESS. The hypnotic, trance- inducing nature of repetition turns out to work wonderfully in a theatrical setting. It producing a physical response as well, if you let it wash over you. Sitting and listening at home is challenging but greatly enhanced by an " herbal launching pad" ( if legal in your state). Thanks for this, as I admit my knowledge is limited to a few pieces by Glass and Reich. In the opera, Glass is becoming less and less minimal. Aknaten is almost a " normal" opera!

My favorite (somewhat lapsed) minimalist is Michael Nyman, who is actually often credited with originally coining the term “minimalism” way back when. His scores for Peter Greenaway’s films in particular show that the form is capable of profound beauty and excitement. His opera based on The Tempest “Noises, Sounds, and Sweet Airs” is in my opinion his masterpiece. Give him a listen if you haven’t already!

"Satie's Vexations" - Music for Ents! (Tolkien's slow-living tree-people-beings.)

I remember sitting in a hall at the Adelaide Festival years ago with my much older German boyfriend, the minimalist composer C C C C C C Bach. I noticed that his turtleneck collar needed adjusting, and as I turned to fix it, noticed that Steve Reich was sitting directly behind me, clapping. (Half of this story is true)

Thanks so much for this survey, which will expand my collection beyond Reich & Part!

Thanks - really thoughtful, fascinating talk. At the risk of getting shot down in flames, I've often thought Bruckner is proto-miniminalist (the Scherzo of the 9th for instance) he's use repetitive patterns to an almost OCD degree (his obsession with numerology). Can I also shout out a vocal piece by Steve Reich called Proverb that takes just 11 words from Wittgenstein 'How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life' and weaves it into a beautiful moving 14 minute work. Stunning.

This is a wonderful reference and I'm going to back to it from time to time.

Yes yes yes yes!! I love minimalism, and this video will surely widen my knowledge and hearing list.

When listening to maximal minimalism, such as the more extreme examples on your video, I'm reminded of the story about the lost person asking the old Mainer, "Say, Mister, where does this road go?" The answer: "Don't go nowhere. Stays right here."

I'm not the type of person to walk out during a live performance, but I once walked out on Morton Feldman. It was in the chamber hall of the National Auditorium in Madrid, Spain. The program consisted of a single work for piano lasting around 100 minutes. It basically went like this: Burst of sound. Silence. Burst of sound. Silence. Burst of Sound. Silence. And so on. After about half an hour, maybe sooneer, I said to myself: This ain't for me. So I quietly took off my shoes, took them in my hand and tiptoed my way out.

Another interesting recent take on the genre is Max Richter's Sleep. I frequently use it to induce that very thing.

Oh how I’d love to read the original version of your review of that ‘Music in 12 Parts’ concert!

You covered all my favorite "minimalist" repertoire. I would also add the "occassional" minimalist, Ligeti, who has some pieces like the Continuum for Harpsichord or some etudes which are fundamentally minimalistic.

This is a maximalist list of minimalist masterpieces! As someone with very little familiarity with these works, I really appreciate this user’s manual video and will refer back to it in the future. Many thanks Dave!