Reise’s music draws on polyphonic classical traditions. After being influenced by the great western classical voice-leading tradition, he became interested in Carnatic rhythm and integrated its techniques into his style. This has resulted in a method he calls "rhythmic polyphony" in which rhythmic motives are developed within the phrase such that the cadence point of the phrase is implied by the rhythms alone. Works written before the adoption of the rhythmic method include Symphony of Voices which was premiered at the Monadnock Festival with soprano Neva Pilgrim, and his Second Symphony premiered by the Syracuse Symphony, conducted by Christopher Keene, and performed subsequently by the Philadelphia Orchestra. His Third Symphony was premiered by Keene and the Long Island Philharmonic in 1983. His 2-act opera Rasputin with a libretto by the composer, was commissioned by the late Beverly Sills and the New York City Opera, and was premiered by City Opera in 1988. Rasputin received its Russian premiere at the Helikon Opera in Moscow, directed by Dmitry Bertman, in September 2008. Works after 1990 include The River Within premiered by soloist Maria Bachmann and Orchestra 2001, James Freeman conductor; Concerto for Horn and 7 Instruments with Adam Unsworth and the Network for New Music, Jan Krzywicki, conductor; Powers That Be for piano quintet with the Cassatt Quartet and Marc-André Hamelin; Memory Refrains, with the Cassatt Quartet; the piano solo suite Six Pictures from ‘The Devil in the Flesh’ by Marc-André Hamelin; the Oscar Wilde-based ballet fairy-tale The Selfish Giant by the Philharmonia Orchestra with conductor Djong Victorin Yu in London in 1997; and two extended piano works, Sonata Rhythmikosmos and Rhythmic Garlands. His left hand transcriptions of Scriabin’s Etudes Op. 2, No. 1 and Op. 8, No. 12 have been performed by Gary Graffman and Matthew Bengtson. Reise’s music is published by Merion Music/Theodore Presser. The Scriabin transcriptions are published in the Journal of the Scriabin Society of America.
Performers include Charles Abramovic, Jody Applebaum, Ulrich Boeckheller, Gregory Fulkerson, Marc-André Hamelin, Jerome Lowenthal, Charles Ullery. the Cassatt Quartet, Four Horizons, Network for New Music and Orchestra 2001 among others.
Compositions
Stage
Rasputin opera in two acts ; libretto by the composer
Orchestral
The Selfish Giant choreographic tone-poem in six scenes based on the fairy-tale by Oscar Wilde
Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 2
Symphony of Voices for orchestra with soprano
Concerti
The River Within 2008
Concerto for Horn and 7 Instruments 2006
Yellowstone Rhythms for bassoon and 10 players
Concerto for Cello and 13 Instruments
Wind ensemble
Tinicum Rhythms for concert band
Chamber music
;2 players
Jisei for voice and shakuhachi
Yellowstone Rhythms
Duo Rhythmikosmos for violin and piano
Moonwatching for flute and violin
La Choumine for viola and piano
;3 players
Trio Rhythmikosmos,
;4 players
Across the Horizons for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
"Context, Choice and Issues of Perceived Determinism in Music," in Indeterminacy: The Mapped, the Navigable, and the Uncharted, Jose V. Ciprut, Contributing Editor : 241-266
"Lukas Foss: Ways of Looking at Music" in National Gallery of Art : non paginated
"The Phonograph Behind the Door: Some Thoughts on Musical Literacy," in Reading World Literature: Theory, History, Practice, edited by Sarah Lawall : 287-308.
"Doctrine of Despair: Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten," Opera News : 1991
"Late Skriabin: Some Principles Behind the Style," 19th Century Music : 220-231 - Reprinted in The Journal of the Scriabin Society of America : 29-46
"Rochberg the Progressive", Perspectives of New Music : 395-407
