Cultural Attaché: New In Music This Week (April 3)
ALBUM REVIEW
April 3, 2026
Craig Byrd of Cultural Attaché reviews Metropolis Ensemble’s new studio album, Canto Ostinato. Read more »
“For some reason, Simeon ten Holt’s minimalist work Canto Ostinato had never crossed my path. It certainly has with this new recording which expands the work from a solo piano and keyboards to a larger ensemble.
Here that ensemble includes Sandbox Percussion’s instruments, a grand piano, eighteen strings and eight woodwinds. It’s an intoxicating combination for a mesmerizing composition.
The work had its world premiere in 1979 which puts in three years after Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians and 15 years after Terry Riley’s In C. All three works share a certain sensibility. It is repetitive, but not just for the sake of repeating itself. As with composers like Philip Glass, the subtle differences are what makes the music compelling.
I found this recording utterly enthralling. All 106 sections of ten Holt’s masterwork.”
-Craig Byrd, Cultural Attaché
