# Beginners' Glass



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Advice please, TC people.

Mrs Pat recently heard part of a violin concerto by Philip Glass on the radio and wants to hear more of his output.

What pieces would you recommend for a Glass newbie to feel their way in to his sound world?


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## Hildadam Bingor (May 7, 2016)

Einstein on the Beach, I guess.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

String Quartet no. 3 (Mishima)
Try Mad Rush for solo piano and his Harpsichord Concero


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/ad...glass&work=&performer=&medium=all&label=&cat=


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## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

For the raw newbie, I would probably go with the more accessible film scores, such as _Anima Mundi_ or _Powaqqatsi_. For the more mature listener, such as members here at TC, I would probably go with his Violin Concerto, or perhaps his second string quartet _Company_, if you like your soundscapes a bit dark. _Einstein on the Beach _ is absolutely necessary listening, but to listen to it all at once is a commitment that a "newbie" might be loth to take.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

My introductions were _Glassworks_ and _Koyaanisqatsi_, followed by _Satyagraha_ and _Akhnaten_, all of which I loved. At the time I found the slightly earlier works like _Einstein_ to be a bit _too_ minimalist.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. We will be dabbling in Glass.


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## Metairie Road (Apr 30, 2014)

'The Photographer'


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I agree with Nereffid: *Glassworks.* It has a variety of forms and sounds. The remastering sounds good, and it's cheap.



And as Nereffid probably also knows, it goes good with haggis. :lol:


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

Concerto For Cello And Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Julian Lloyd Webber


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

If Mrs Pat likes Bowie she may like to check out Symphony no. 1 (Low) and Symphony no. 4 (Heroes).


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## Martyn Harper (Jan 27, 2016)

Glassworks was my introduction to the composer back in the 1980s. It is accessible and epitomises the sound world of Glass.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

^^ on the bandwagon with _Glassworks_, and would definitely not start with Einstein on the Beach, unless you are an opera fan, and that makes sense.

Otherwise, honestly, just get a set of his string quartets -- Kronos is like perfect; or anything else.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Satyagraha and Akhnaten. The music's attractive and melodic; there are beautiful duets and powerful ensembles.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> And as Nereffid probably also knows, it goes good with haggis. :lol:



I have no idea what you mean by that!


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Another vote for Glassworks.


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

Isn't there a part of Satyagraha which is just a repeated ascending scale? 1234567, over and over again, I mean is that written by an adult? The child Mozart would have laughed at that. I mean the _infant_ Mozart. Perhaps Mr Glass should return to musical pre-school and learn something elementary about scales and harmony. C major might yet produce some good ideas, it's just that I don't expect Glass to produce many of them.


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

My advice is: spend your time on real music


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Score to the film "The Fog Of War." I think his music works better in small bites

https://music.apple.com/us/album/philip-glass-fog-war-soundtrack-from-motion-picture/41949394


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

This will do for starters.


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

I'd third- or fourth- the recommendations for *Glassworks*.

I'd also suggest *Akhenaten*. It's got some exciting, rhythmic chanting and orchestral sounds in Act 1, though it gets a bit tediious by the start of Act 3!


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

For a taste of his earlier, ultra-minimalist process music that doesn't demand an unreasonable time commitment, I'd recommend _Music in Similar Motion_ and _Piece in the Shape of a Square_. Those are my favorite pieces by Glass, even though I've never had the patience for any of his longer pieces from that period.


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