Altered Zones

America's greatest living composer and New York City native, Steve Reich, has created a gut-wrenching account of the infamous September 11th terrorist attacks in his sprawling piece, "WTC 9/11." Reich wrote the piece for string quartet and tape, enlisting the help of longtime friends and collaborators The Kronos Quartet for the recording. The samples are voices recalling and responding to the tragedy; everyone from the victims and their families to the firefighters who valiantly rushed to the rescue are woven in. You can stream the piece in its entirety, as well as some commentary from Reich himself, at NPR. -- Matt Sullivan, Altered Zones