I should preface this by saying I've heard Reich before and I really liked him. His compositions are exciting to me. I think "Nagoya Marimbas" is my personal favorite.
This piece immediately made me think of Minimalism in terms of visual art. While, I'm not a Minimalist artist myself, I really respond to Minimalism because it is so experiential. A lot of the time something like a Minimalist sculpture is criticized by mainstream viewers as being "cold" or inaccessible. I think that this is mostly because people can't or won't actually go and see these works in person. Also I think people don't necessarily want to do any mental work to view art. The "I don't get it" school of thought comes down hard on all types of Minimalism. They want a pleasing picture with little or nothing to figure out."Six Marimbas" though very pleasant to listen to as well as exciting is more work to listen to than a more mainstream composition. I like work that begs you to try harder, look closer, and see something new.
My favorite minimalist sculptor is Richard Serra. It is a visceral journey to encounter the work of Richard Serra. Actually, you don't just "encounter" the work, you travel through it. Scale has a lot to do with this, minimalist visual art tends to be big, monumental. This I can relate back to the length of "Six Marimbas", it's not a minute and a half pop song. Nearly twenty minutes go by once you have reached the end of it. This is a journey, not a passive listening experience.
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