Carnegie Hall celebrated the 75th birthday of Steve Reich '57 on April 30, calling him "one of America's greatest living composers."

Reich chose the concert program, with four of his most recent works performed by Kronos Quartet and other premier ensembles. Reich's recent compositions express his signature contrapuntal style with ensembles and instruments playing off one another, often with prerecorded music or sound and unique instrumentation. He has said, "My instrumentation is my inspiration."

Three of the pieces had their New York premieres at the concert.

Reich's first work for rock instruments, "2x5," was performed by a pair of quintets (four guitars, two pianos, two electric basses and two drum kits) by Bang on a Can All-Stars and Friends, who originally premiered the piece in 2009 in tandem with the German band Kraftwerk.

Bang on a Can members and eighth blackbird, a contemporary music ensemble, also joined forces (on 12 instruments) to perform "Double Sextet," which won Reich the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2009 and was premiered by eighth blackbird in 2008.

Sō Percussion performed "Mallet Quartet," scored for two vibraphones and two five-octave marimbas. The piece was originally commissioned by percussion ensembles based in Budapest and Australia, and by California's Sō Percussion, who worked out marimba parts with the composer by e-mail.

Kronos Quartet closed the concert with the New York premiere of Reich's latest work, "WTC 9/11." The 15-minute piece featured three string quartets (one live and two prerecorded) and recorded voices from the New York Fire Department and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). The piece also included recordings of Reich's interviews with an ambulance driver and friends and former neighbors who lived or worked in Lower Manhattan, and recorded two of the women who, following Jewish tradition, sat and recited Psalms over the remains of 9/11 victims at the medical examiner's office during the seven months the remains awaited DNA identification.

Both "Double Sextet" and "WTC 9/11" were co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall.