# Philip Glass (1937-)



## millionrainbows

I found no previous thread on Glass. Since I'm immersed in listening to Music In Twelve Parts (1971-1974), this is a good premise to share some observations.

Music in Twelve Parts is what I consider one of Glass' more "hardcore" works, along with _Dance Nos. 1-5 _(1979) on a CBS 2-CD, and _Two Pages (1975), Contrary Motion (1975), Music In Fifths (1973),_ and _Music In Similar Motion (1973),_ all of which are on an Electra CD.

The repetition in these ensemble pieces is more apparent than in his later symphonies, string quartets, or any of the works scored for more traditional ensembles. With Glass' own ensembles, usually including RMI electric pianos or Farfisa "combo" organs, the players were specially trained and rehearsed as a dedicated group, in order to execute the highly repetitive, hypnotic pieces without getting lost, or making errors. The precision in these long pieces, lasting up to 20 minutes each, is quite remarkable.

What has drawn me back to these works is a reading of _Sound and Light,_ which is about La Monte Young, the so-called "father" of minimalism. In Young's music, very little "happens;" notes are sustained for long periods, in order to concentrate on the various effects of overtones and "beating" which occurs upon sustained listening.

For me, it is this aspect of relinquishing the horizontal dimension of Western music, and returning to a timeless vertical dimension of harmonic effects, which eschews "development," which I find is the real underlying connection between Young and the minimalism which followed.

With Philip Glass, the horizontal becomes less important than the vertical as well, a fact which totally confounds and frustrates many Western classical listeners. In listening to the sections of Music In Twelve Parts, for example, it is apparent that, although there is no "harmonic development," each piece explores a different aspect of harmonic territory: Part 1 (18:16) seems to hover in a major chord area, with allusion to ii minor or iv minor; Part 2 (19:18) motors along on a pentatonic bass line, firmly in I; Part 3 (13:15) is a suspended tonality, using fourths, never actually settling down to a root; Part 4 (17:18) hovers in a V-I, with more emphasis on V than I, creating a sense of restlessness as well. Part 5 is its opposite: a I-V, which is settled more on the I, creating a more stable effect.

Many of these pieces have abrupt changes as well, usually not occurring until well into the piece. In this way, Glass is using large sections of contrast.

There is repetition, for sure; but that's missing the point. There is subtle change as well. The astute listener learns to savor these small changes.

Another "unifying" factor in minimalism is its influence by Eastern philosophy and thinking. In Shingon Buddhism, a Japanese offshoot in which beads are counted for a specified duration, the count (which must be kept track of) exceeds over a million, all the while in an outdoor "gazebo" in which extremes of temperature are experienced, while gazing at Venus. If the initiate can survive this, without losing composure, enlightenment is achieved.


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## science

This is my favorite disk of Glass's music, though I have about five others. It is interesting to contrast it to Glassworks, the earliest of his works that I have:










Neither is really very complex, but what interests me is how his music has developed even within the limits that he has set himself. To me, the Aguas da Amazonia work is very similar to Glassworks, but undeniably much, much better craftsmanship. As if Glassworks was an experimental stage, and Aguas is a final, polished product.

After Aguas, my favorite Glass recording is the string quartets by Kronos Quartet.










That was only my second or third Kronos disk. _Black Angels_ was my first, and either this or Golijov's _Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind_ was my second. These two are, if my opinion counts, essential. _*Essential.*_ Along with their disk of Piazzolla's _Five Tango Sensations_. Accept no substitutes. People like to say this and that about other recordings to show they're cooler than us juvenile KQ fans, but I've tried the others and it's hogwash. Vasks 4 and Feldman's Piano and String Quartet might be essential too. Howl U. S. A. is very good. Of course you've got no options that I know of for Ostertag's _All the Rage_, which I love and recommend urgently. A powerful work. But enough about Kronos and back to Glass.

The Glass quartets are very interesting and almost essential. Maybe even essential. Certainly I recommend them highly to anyone who isn't already turned off to this kind of music. I enjoyed them for years, and then when I heard his first violin concerto, I was unable to enjoy it because of its similarity to the quartets. I'll have to try that again sometime.

Nor did Glass's music for _Dracula_ work for me, at least in its string quartet incarnation. I might try its piano version sometime.


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## science

Millions, thanks for the like. I basically didn't understand your post, so I just made my own... 

I'd like your thoughts on Reich's minimalism. I wonder if Reich is actually not so much a minimalist in Glass's or Pärt's sense as he is an explorer of rhythm. 

With Glass, there is a sense I get that he is playing with the boundaries of our perception. He's interested in giving us just enough music that we can't actually follow everything as it happens in real time, but not a lot more than that. So that as we hear it we're constantly on the edge of saying, "Ok, I know what's going on here and I don't have to pay attention now." But he just never lets us get all the way there. 

I once heard that humans are fascinated by flame because we are looking for the pattern but not finding it. I don't know whether that's right, but it wouldn't surprise. I spend too much time staring at almost-perfect patterns on tile floors to dismiss such an idea. To me, Glass's music is like a tile floor that I stare at, then when I think I've got the pattern of it I check and... no, it's not quite that. It's something else. 

And that is what separates, for me at least, Glass from something like Yukhi Kuramoto or David Lanz. Glass gets to the edge of being that simplistic, apparently just a series of arpeggios and chord changes in a simple meter with regular rhythm. But whereas I think I really do hear the entirety of what David Lanz does, Glass holds out just a bit that I'm not getting yet. He goes almost where I expect him to go, but not exactly. 

That's where I feel that Glassworks is less polished than Aguas. Aguas flirts much more nearly with simplicity, while Glassworks has some pretty abrupt transitions, perhaps as if he couldn't pull his material together as tightly, but more likely just that he didn't trust us to stay interested without a bit of a jolt now and again.


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## millionrainbows

Thanks, science. When I mentioned La Monte Young and the vertical, in terms of rhythm this is harder to translate, since rhythm occurs over time; but both Reich and Glass are influenced by non-Western musics. 

In Glass, I see the use of rhythmic "modules," where rhythmic units of beats are strung together to create larger entities, as in Indian music, where a raga may be 17 beats, divided 4-4-4- 5, or similarly. 

Reich studied African drumming, where "compound" rhythms are played with; such as a 12-beat structure which can be divided 3-3-3-3 or 4-4-4, or 2-2-2-2-2-2, and so on. The ambiguity is played with. This influenced jazz. Reich is concerned with how these patterns overlap, as an audible process.


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## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> Thanks, science. When I mentioned La Monte Young and the vertical, in terms of rhythm this is harder to translate, since rhythm occurs over time; but both Reich and Glass are influenced by non-Western musics.
> 
> In Glass, I see the use of rhythmic "modules," where rhythmic units of beats are strung together to create larger entities, as in Indian music, where a raga may be 17 beats, divided 4-4-4- 5, or similarly.
> 
> Reich studied African drumming, where "compound" rhythms are played with; such as a 12-beat structure which can be divided 3-3-3-3 or 4-4-4, or 2-2-2-2-2-2, and so on. The ambiguity is played with. This influenced jazz. Reich is concerned with how these patterns overlap, as an audible process.


I'm very interested in what you've said about the vertical and the horizontal. "Timeless vertical dimension of harmonic effects"? Perhaps you need to explain this to the lay reader. It seems to relate back to music of the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods - music which was not reliant upon counterpoint and rhythm so much as it was 'homophonic' and 'homorhythmic'. And yet, Glass and Reich both sound complex for all their (as you suggest) concentration on 'the vertical'. African drumming - yes, this seems to be some of the inspiration behind the minimalists' aesthetic. And the raga - though I find this less obvious. For me, the sound goes back to Machaut and his experiments with isorhythm and hocket!!! (Minus the dominant rhythmic impulse and repetition of the modernists.)


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## Ramako

What interests me most about Glass, and also Reich, is not that they have discovered a new type of music - but that they have discovered a new type of *music listening*. It is impossible to appreciate minimalism, listening in the same way as tonal, or even most other kinds of twentieth century music which follow on, in this respect, more closely to previous ideas about music. Apparently Glass termed this '_non-narrative_' listening. It is closest, in my opinion, to the kinds of lengthy pieces composed in early polyphony, by Perotin, for example, which go on in an almost hypnotic way. Linking it to isorhythm is not just an auditory coincidence - minimalism is in a sense just a more extreme sort of repetition.

I have to confess I have little liking for Glass, though, and less for Reich. I obviously haven't learnt how to listen to them yet :lol:


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## science

Ramako said:


> I have to confess I have little liking for Glass, though, and less for Reich. I obviously haven't learnt how to listen to them yet :lol:


That's interesting! I find Glass easy to enjoy and hard to pay attention to; I find Reich simply fascinating, and often very powerful. I don't know if you've heard Reich's WTC 9/11. I didn't like the idea of making music about that, and in fact Adams (who I usually like) botched it pretty badly in my opinion with his "The Transmigration of Souls." But Reich nailed it.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Earlier this year I was exploring some of Glass's more recent stuff, the Concerto Project, Kepler, his 5th and 9th symphonies, his violin concerto no. 2...I found that the way he writes for orchestra is fairly consistent, not bad but not really good either. His best works I would say come from his period from the late sixties up until he wrote his first violin concerto. The works that really stand out for me after the violin concerto no. 1 would be the cello concerto, double concerto, symphonies 3, 8 and 9 and not that much else.

And hopefully I'll be going to see _Einstein on the Beach_ in July/August.


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## millionrainbows

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> I'm very interested in what you've said about the vertical and the horizontal. "Timeless vertical dimension of harmonic effects"? Perhaps you need to explain this to the lay reader.


Thanks for the prompt, Countenance, as this subject is my current interest, which I got on-to by reading about La Monte Young in the book of essays _*Sound and Light*_ (this US-published book is easier to get in the UK than it is here for some reason).

It's a lot easier to talk about "all vertical/no horizontal" when discussing Young's music, as absolutely nothing "happens" in much of his work, consisting of sustained tones which are held for long periods (excepting _*The Well-Tuned Piano*_).

This happens in Indian raga music as well; and I just thought of a good metaphor which might make this more understandable. If you've ever seen Pro Tools, LOGIC, or other computer recording programs, there is a feature called "scroll in play," in which the time-line cursor remains stationary while the background scrolls past. That way, you are always in the present event and don't get lost or have to follow the cursor off the page.

For me, that's a good analogy. In western music, we "follow" a linear unfolding of developmental events, one after the other. This is a very literate, visual way of listening cognitively. With minimalism, we are "suspended in the present moment" like the immovable cursor; the music "scrolls past," in a constant unfolding. We remain "present," as the music has no linear development as we normally think of it. I hope this analogy helps.



CountenanceAnglaise said:


> It seems to relate back to music of the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods - music which was not reliant upon counterpoint and rhythm so much as it was 'homophonic' and 'homorhythmic'. And yet, Glass and Reich both sound complex for all their (as you suggest) concentration on 'the vertical'.


Yes, there were isorhythmic elements used in pre-Renaissance music. Webern was into this as well. Gregorian chant was not based on scales as we know them, but on tetrachords (4-note units) that were strung together. This is where the tonal ambiguity in chant comes from. The tetrachords did not relate to a "root" as we know it, so many times the phrases ended on other notes, which throws your expectation off. This is, for me, the best part of listening to chant: what key are we in?



CountenanceAnglaise said:


> African drumming - yes, this seems to be some of the inspiration behind the minimalists' aesthetic. And the raga - though I find this less obvious. For me, the sound goes back to Machaut and his experiments with isorhythm and hocket!!! (Minus the dominant rhythmic impulse and repetition of the modernists.)


Reich himself said he was influenced by Perotin, as Ramako so astutely observed. I agree totally with his post, and like the term "non-narrative listening."

@science: I don't have Uakti, now I must have it. Thanks for the mention.

Also, some of the early pieces by Reich reveal his interest in "process" music; Clapping Music (two guys clapping) and Pendulum Music, where a PA speaker cabinet is laid face-up, and a mike is swung by its cord over it, making a feedback "chirp," until it finally stops on a continuous tone.


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## millionrainbows

About time, its measure, and "being" in time:

The difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers...

Yes, but I figured this out before I knew what they were called.

Babies are certainly 'zero' at birth and their age counted in smaller increments than years. How numbers are used to measure matters of time is different from other measuring systems; there is no "zero," and everything begins at "1."

Identity/being is synonymous with "being in time."

I never heard of a baby being called 'zero years old' all the way until it reached age one. They always say it in fractional divisions, like days, weeks, and months. "Zero" is not used in matters of time. At least, it wasn't always until digital clocks and military time.

It seems that "zero" is avoided when dealing with time (not military, but look at any conventional clock).

The calender year starting 2000 does not mean 'we have completed 2000 years' but rather 'we are celebrating the beginning of our 2000th year'.

In birthdays, we celebrate completion, in calendar terms we celebrate the start of the new time period.

Implicit in these statements are the terms "start" and "complete," which refer to durations of time. "Duration" implies _"being in time." _

It wasn't always possible to own zero sheep. Now we see this as measuring "quantities."

Time is in a sense quantitive (as in an hourglass), and it can be measured; but time differs from other quantities in that time is _duration and being._

This is obvious to any computer-music operator who deals with musical measures (which begin at the start of measure 1, and SMPTE time code, which begins on 0:00:00:00. The measure is a duration to be experienced; the SMPTE code is time as a quantity, to be measured.

Western music has gradually deviated from the notion of time as an "experienced duration of being." During early chant, it was. This all ties-in with the doctrine of *Privatia Boni.*


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## millionrainbows

science said:


> ...It is interesting to contrast it to Glassworks, the earliest of his works that I have:


Glassworks is very good, and would serve as a great intro to Glass. It starts with an intimate solo piano piece, then goes into various ensemble pieces. The remastering is excellent as well.


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## Guest

I bought "Glassworks" decades ago after seeing the Twyla Tharp Dance Company doing "In the Upper Room" at the Adelaide Festival of the Arts. This is the most amazing dance performance I have ever seen in my life, and I've seen quite a few!!

I love Glass's operas and also he's written some film music, eg. "The Secret Window".


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## DeepR

I've only heard Koyaanisqatsi and some bits of other pieces. I like it so I guess I should listen more.






I like loooong-repetitive-hypnotizing-music 
http://www.talkclassical.com/20975-loooong-repetitive-hypnotizing-music-3.html


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## PetrB

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> I'm very interested in what you've said about the vertical and the horizontal. "Timeless vertical dimension of harmonic effects"? Perhaps you need to explain this to the lay reader. It seems to relate back to music of the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods - music which was not reliant upon counterpoint and rhythm so much as it was 'homophonic' and 'homorhythmic'. And yet, Glass and Reich both sound complex for all their (as you suggest) concentration on 'the vertical'. African drumming - yes, this seems to be some of the inspiration behind the minimalists' aesthetic. And the raga - though I find this less obvious. For me, the sound goes back to Machaut and his experiments with isorhythm and hocket!!! (Minus the dominant rhythmic impulse and repetition of the modernists.)


With all the 'ethnic' non-western influences, Glass has clearly mentioned his fascination (and direct debit toward) *Pérotin* .


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## Guest

(I'll call you PB!). Yes, Perotin, and his work in 12th century Ars Antiqua. I was in Nostre Dame Cathedral in April, 2009 and that mighty organ started playing at Communion. I dissolved into tears. Believe me, there is NO experience like it in the universe. The king of instruments, the gothic architecture and the music of Louis Vierne and Olivier Messiaen. Thundering, awesome, majestic, overpowering, metaphysical and oh-so weighty!! At 4pm there was a 'free concert' by American organist (from Texas) Philip Baker. On the program a work I didn't know by Myron Roberts - an organ transcription of "Homage a Perotin". Please believe me when I tell you that the instant I heard that organum and early polypony and recognized the sounds of Perotin I was a basket case. It took me back to my studies of the French Nostre Dame school and it was quite overwhelming. Who wouldn't want to source the music of Master Perotin. And yet, the English were doing similar things in music at the same time, according to MS in the Winchester Troper. Thank God for Latin and Monks!!

Here's a wiki link about Master Perotin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pérotin

Please note references to that prolific composer Anonymous 4.


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## mmsbls

science said:


> This is my favorite disk of Glass's music, though I have about five others. It is interesting to contrast it to Glassworks, the earliest of his works that I have:


Thanks for this comment. I have listened to Aguas several times since I saw your post. I liked it the first time and have continued to enjoy the works more and more. I had heard Glassworks and enjoyed some of the pieces. Aguas is more integrated and seemingly coherent, and it draws me in more than Glassworks does.

Glass is interesting to me because so much of his work _appears_ so simple, yet I often find myself quite involved with the music. I also like several of the quartets, the violin concerto, and symphony No. 4.


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## science

mmsbls said:


> Thanks for this comment. I have listened to Aguas several times since I saw your post. I liked it the first time and have continued to enjoy the works more and more. I had heard Glassworks and enjoyed some of the pieces. Aguas is more integrated and seemingly coherent, and it draws me in more than Glassworks does.
> 
> Glass is interesting to me because so much of his work _appears_ so simple, yet I often find myself quite involved with the music. I also like several of the quartets, the violin concerto, and symphony No. 4.


I had an interesting experience with Shakespeare when I realized that Julius Caesar and Macbeth are essentially the same stories, even many of the same lines - not the same words, but the same ideas. And then it struck me: Julius Caesar is very, very, very good, but when I see it next to Macbeth, I see that Macbeth is truly great. I don't know how others feel about that, but without Macbeth and without a clear comparison like that, I'd have never noticed anything "weak" about Julius Caesar. In fact, it's not weak at all. It's just that Macbeth is so much stronger. That's what 10 years experience means to a genius like Shakespeare.

That might be analogous to Glass. Glassworks alone, I don't find myself saying, this could be better. But when you put it next to Aguas, you realize that Glass really did get better at what he does. It's not often easy to put your finger on it, but there is undeniably greater unity and direction in Aguas.


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## PeterFromLA

Einstein on the Beach... I remember when it was a legendary recording that could only rarely be heard. Tomato Records released it originally, in a four LP box set, but it was prohibitively expensive and hard to find, so most people with an interest had to wait for special airings on college or non-profit radio (e.g., Pacifica). I remember one Fourth of July weekend, back in the early 1980s, when KPFK played the entire EotB Tomato recording... What a thrill that was. 

I used to listen to Glass whenever I wanted to have an adrenalin rush, works like Music in Changing Parts, Music in Twelve Parts, Music in Similar Motion, and Music in Contrary Motion. It was like rock music, but more absolute as a listening experience. Stoned, it was as mesmerizing as a Ravi Shankar raga, fitting, since Glass worked with Shankar back in the mid-1960s, and thought of himself as adapting Ravi's approach to composition in his music (which he didn't, really, but he came up with something interesting on a rhythmic level in trying... listen to the bass line in Night Train, for instance: one can hear echos of Alla Rakha on the tabla, almost).

I interviewed Glass for my radio show in college. "Glassworks" was being launched (I remember Carl Stone snorting in disbelief when Glass told him the name of the forthcoming LP when Carl interviewed him for his Imaginary Landscapes radio program on KPFK). Glass asked me what I thought of the new record: "Different, huh?" I told him that yes it did seem different from his earlier music, but then I reminded him of a recent piece, only then available on an obscure EP produced by Soho News: Mad Rush.... surely that work foreshadowed Glassworks, no? He thought about it and said, Yes, of course, that's right... He got excited by the connection, but probably also because he was being interviewed by a college kid who actually knew his recorded oeuvre. (Mad Rush remains my second favorite piece by him. It was written in honor of the Dali Lama's visit to NYC, back in 1979 or so... the original organ version is better than the piano version that is more frequently performed. Another transitional work, his Madrigal Opera (1980), for violin, viola, and chorus, also has the same ruminative feel. My favorite Glass piece: Another Look at Harmony, Part IV: it makes the hair on my forearms stand up.)

Anyway, i lost interest in Glass after Mishima (which I loved, by the way), though occasional pieces struck my fancy. I remember seeing a performance of Civil Wars (the Rome Section) with the LA Phil after the Olympics premiere did not materialize (in 1984 maybe), and Glass came out to take a bow from an approving audience, but my favorite memory of seeing Glass was at a Kronos performance at UCLA, back around 1990 perhaps, when Arnold Schoenberg's Transfigured Night was performed. I assumed Glass would be sour faced during the entire affair, but he actually appeared to be transfixed for the duration, and left the concert very animatedly discussing the performance with his companions.


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## millionrainbows

RE: Mad Rush, mentioned by PeterFromLa, it's a solo piano (or Organ) piece that's available on several different CDs, including Glass himself (Solo Piano), and I read some good reviews on the Bruce Brubaker CD.


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## GioCar

This morning while going at work I listened again, after many years, to

Allen Ginsberg - Philip Glass: Wichita Vortex Sutra






An awesome piece. The sort of "counterpoint" between Ginsberg's voice and Glass' piano is very expressive and moving.

I found myself thinking about those years, when the poem was written...were they actually better?...but probably I'm getting older


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## millionrainbows

GioCar said:


> This morning while going at work I listened again, after many years, to
> 
> Allen Ginsberg - Philip Glass: Wichita Vortex Sutra
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An awesome piece. The sort of "counterpoint" between Ginsberg's voice and Glass' piano is very expressive and moving.
> 
> I found myself thinking about those years, when the poem was written...were they actually better?...but probably I'm getting older


I think in many ways, those years were more...human.


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## Blake

Anyone enjoy his piano etudes? His complete set is coming out the end of this month. I haven't gotten the chance to dive in yet, but I figured I'd make it harder on myself and taint my experience with varying opinions.


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## Avey

I have listened to nothing but his quartets for the past week. Where do I go next?


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## Skilmarilion

Avey said:


> I have listened to nothing but his quartets for the past week. Where do I go next?


A couple of Glass works I really enjoy: the Harpsichord concerto and the 1st Violin concerto (the first movement of the latter is extraordinary, imo).

There are moments from _Einstein on the Beach_ that I've liked, including _Spaceship_ and the 5th knee play, although I haven't heard anywhere near the whole thing (it's nearly 5 hours).


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## scratchgolf

Agreed on the VC. Also, Glassworks, if you haven't heard it yet.


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## Andrei

DeepR said:


> I've only heard Koyaanisqatsi and some bits of other pieces. I like it so I guess I should listen more.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like loooong-repetitive-hypnotizing-music
> http://www.talkclassical.com/20975-loooong-repetitive-hypnotizing-music-3.html


I like loooong-repetitive-hypnotizing-music



PeterFromLA said:


> Einstein on the Beach... I remember when it was a legendary recording that could only rarely be heard. Tomato Records released it originally, in a four LP box set, but it was prohibitively expensive and hard to find, so most people with an interest had to wait for special airings on college or non-profit radio (e.g., Pacifica). I remember one Fourth of July weekend, back in the early 1980s, when KPFK played the entire EotB Tomato recording... What a thrill that was.
> 
> I used to listen to Glass whenever I wanted to have an adrenalin rush, works like Music in Changing Parts, Music in Twelve Parts, Music in Similar Motion, and Music in Contrary Motion. It was like rock music, but more absolute as a listening experience. Stoned, it was as mesmerizing as a Ravi Shankar raga, fitting, since Glass worked with Shankar back in the mid-1960s, and thought of himself as adapting Ravi's approach to composition in his music (which he didn't, really, but he came up with something interesting on a rhythmic level in trying... listen to the bass line in Night Train, for instance: one can hear echos of Alla Rakha on the tabla, almost).
> 
> I interviewed Glass for my radio show in college. "Glassworks" was being launched (I remember Carl Stone snorting in disbelief when Glass told him the name of the forthcoming LP when Carl interviewed him for his Imaginary Landscapes radio program on KPFK). Glass asked me what I thought of the new record: "Different, huh?" I told him that yes it did seem different from his earlier music, but then I reminded him of a recent piece, only then available on an obscure EP produced by Soho News: Mad Rush.... surely that work foreshadowed Glassworks, no? He thought about it and said, Yes, of course, that's right... He got excited by the connection, but probably also because he was being interviewed by a college kid who actually knew his recorded oeuvre. (Mad Rush remains my second favorite piece by him. It was written in honor of the Dali Lama's visit to NYC, back in 1979 or so... the original organ version is better than the piano version that is more frequently performed. Another transitional work, his Madrigal Opera (1980), for violin, viola, and chorus, also has the same ruminative feel. My favorite Glass piece: Another Look at Harmony, Part IV: it makes the hair on my forearms stand up.)
> 
> Anyway, i lost interest in Glass after Mishima (which I loved, by the way), though occasional pieces struck my fancy. I remember seeing a performance of Civil Wars (the Rome Section) with the LA Phil after the Olympics premiere did not materialize (in 1984 maybe), and Glass came out to take a bow from an approving audience, but my favorite memory of seeing Glass was at a Kronos performance at UCLA, back around 1990 perhaps, when Arnold Schoenberg's Transfigured Night was performed. I assumed Glass would be sour faced during the entire affair, but he actually appeared to be transfixed for the duration, and left the concert very animatedly discussing the performance with his companions.


Great experiences, thanks for sharing


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## Haydninplainsight

I hadn't heard any pieces from this composer until today when I stumbled across this classical guitar adaptation of some of his pieces by the Dublin Guitar Quartet. It's really beautiful music. This thread is full of great recommendations for him too. Thanks everybody.

Here is the Dublin Guitar Quartet adaptation:
http://www.npr.org/event/music/368263184/dublin-guitar-quartet-tiny-desk-concert


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## Avey

Second (continuing from here) I just listened to Glass' Symphony No. 10 for the first time. I found the release in a record store on a recent trip.

Generally, I was a tad disappointed. Largely this is due to the fact that I was anticipating the work for some time. Moreover, much of the "new" works I hear of glass (i.e., works I still have not discovered, but are not literally "new" or recent), fall in my good graces rather quickly. He is a composer that I very much enjoy. I would not dare say he is revolutionary, perfect, necessary, whatever. But I do think his music is incredibly entertaining and passionate, in its own precise way.

My brief review:

I felt like I was listening to a Glass _opening movement_ in five separate modes. Like a theme and variations all set in the same tempo, consisting of the same instruments and orchestration, etc. And dare I say, the second/third movements are eerily reminiscent of the melodies in his Ninth, the first movement specifically. Lots of similarities.

The work has its moments, things I liked. But compared to past works, I doubt I will find myself relistening to the piece. I was not a _huge_ fan of the Ninth, but I truly adore the slow movement (...and, like, not really an adagio, since almost half of it is spent meandering into a new theme...) and I listen to it routinely. I very much enjoy his Eighth as well.

My point being: The 10th, for all the hype I put on it on my own (just _anticipating_ the thing), was a sort of letdown.

What does everyone else think?


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## Sir Redcrosse

I adore Glass, and try my hardest to share his music with everyone who will listen and hope they love it as much as I do
but his 10th symphony sounded very much to me like a busy man who has fallen into "habits" and, forgive the pun, repetition. 
It had all the personality of a form-letter. 

That said, I look forward to whatever comes out next. I certainly hope that the rest of Another Look at Harmony gets recorded, but I doubt that will be any time soon.


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## chesapeake bay

Avey said:


> What does everyone else think?


Yea the 10th is not very appealing, though maybe after enjoying the 9th, the 10th just seems somewhat insipid.


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## Skilmarilion

Avey said:


> Second (continuing from here) I just listened to Glass' Symphony No. 10 for the first time. I found the release in a record store on a recent trip. ...


Cool, I haven't heard this one yet. But even before seeing your post and others', the lack of enthusiasm doesn't surprise me based on what I'd read about the work.

The main issue is that the 10th was not originally conceived as a symphony, and is a kind of re-hash of music written for the Philip Glass ensemble for a festival.

Now the 8th and 9th, which you highlight, clearly don't have any such problems. Both are fantastic in their own way, and I love that you have love for the middle movement of the 9th -- I think it's utterly compelling from beginning to end and full of some of his most beautiful passages.


----------



## PeterFromLA

Regarding the Piano Etudes: Yes, Yes, Yes. This is Phil Glass back in fine form. I have tickets to see him and several others perform the entire set in February, and I can't wait.

Among the performers will be Timo Andres, an interesting young composer, here performing the 16th Etude: 



.

I think my favorite, though, is the 18th. Glass pulls off a romantic vibe in this piece that I haven't heard him do elsewhere quite so well, and the great thing is, he does it while remaining true to his roots in repetitive structures.


----------



## Blake

I've become quite the fan of his. I went from mildly interested to owning a great deal of his work.

Listening to Orion right now, and it's quite good.


----------



## PeterFromLA

Congrats to Glass for being named today a recipient of a National Medal of the Arts. Few composers have received the award since it was created thirty some years ago... Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, David Diamond, Meredith Month, William Bolcom, a few others; Leonard Bernstein turned the award down in protest over withdrawal of federal funding for an AIDS-related art project.


----------



## Richannes Wrahms

Not the most meaningful award.


----------



## KenOC

Richannes Wrahms said:


> Not the most meaningful award.


Certainly a better award than any I've received this year. Congrats Phil!


----------



## Nereffid

PeterFromLA said:


> Meredith Month


I know that's a typo, but I think a Meredith Month is a great idea!


----------



## PeterFromLA

Meredith Month, not sure how that happened, but I agree, Nereffid, and I won't be fixing the typo!

As for more "meaningful award(s)", I'm curious: what would those be?


----------



## Nereffid

PeterFromLA said:


> Meredith Month, not sure how that happened, but I agree, Nereffid, and I won't be fixing the typo!
> 
> As for more "meaningful award(s)", I'm curious: what would those be?


Stephen Sondheim, commenting on all the awards and honours he'd received over his career, said "the only meaningful recognition is recognition by your peers or, more accurately, people you consider your peers." Consequently, the most meaningful award he'd received, he said, was his election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
FWIW, Glass is also a member - full list of musical members here.

Of course, it's possible that RW meant "Not the most meaningful award" in its more colloquial sense - _I don't think much of the guy who got the award, so the award is probably rubbish too._


----------



## Avey

Yo, if anyone gets word of a recording of this (and can share), please do so ASAP - thanks.

http://philipglass.com/event/austin-tx-string-quartet-no-7-us-premiere/


----------



## hustlefan

FWIW, Sony is releasing all the Philip Glass in their catalog in a 24-cd box on October 28 in celebration of his 80th birthday this coming January.

https://amazon.com/Philip-Glass-Complete-Sony-Recordings/dp/B01HIGPXAU/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1474551998&sr=1-1&keywords=B01HIGPXAU


----------



## seven four

Einstein on the Beach DVD soon!


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

seven four said:


> View attachment 88964
> 
> 
> Einstein on the Beach DVD soon!


Great news! Having seen the 2012 production in London, I was hoping that it would be preserved on CD or DVD. It was a truly wonderful experience, and a beautiful piece of theatre.


----------



## PeterFromLA

The DVD recording appears to feature the two Einsteins who were also in the Los Angeles production of Einstein (2013).

In live performance, the work seems endless. When it's over, it's hard to not want to see it again. 

I'm dubious about the DVD's ability to recreate the experience, but as a moving postcard of the event, it's better than nothing. Plus, to hear that Building saxophone solo again? Priceless.


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

PeterFromLA said:


> In live performance, the work seems endless. When it's over, it's hard to not want to see it again.


I know what you mean. I booked the penultimate performance in London, and was unable to get tickets for the one remaining show - despite my desperate craving for a "second helping". Had I backed my first instinct, and booked an earlier showing in the run, I'd definitely have gone back for more.


----------



## SilverSurfer

PeterFromLA said:


> In live performance, the work seems endless. When it's over, it's hard to not want to see it again.


Great sentence!
Seen in Barcelona's Liceu many years ago :tiphat:


----------



## Skilmarilion

I've been going through a lot of his stuff on Apple Music lately.

Some great discoveries:

*Les enfants terribles* - absolutely brilliant. Scored for a Stravinsky-esque 3 piano line-up, Glass creates an extraordinary sound world, full of rhythmic bite and lyrical beauty.

*La belle et la bete * - some remarkable colours and harmonies are extracted from a slightly larger than usual Philip Glass ensemble. As in the above piece, the singing in French works really well with the music.

_*Concerto for Saxophone Quartet*_ - surprisingly jazzy in places, this is one of the more inventive orchestral pieces he's written. The slow third movement is particularly atmospheric, and there's some great interplay between the saxophones throughout.


----------



## PeterFromLA

La belle et la bete -- ah yes, the Glass "over score" for the Cocteau film. I saw the PG Ensemble perform the work in Westwood (CA), alongside a screening of the movie. It was a fantastic experience. I don't think the work is performed in tandem with the film very often. If you ever get the chance to see it so done, by all means don't pass up your shot.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm reading Glass' book Words Without Music, a memoir. Highly recommended.


----------



## Adam Weber

millionrainbows said:


> I'm reading Glass' book Words Without Music, a memoir. Highly recommended.


I'm about halfway through that. I think even people who don't like Glass's music would find it fascinating. The chapter on Nadia Boulanger is exceptional.


----------



## Skilmarilion

For fans of streaming, and Glass, a vast number of his works are now available on *Apple Music*.

http://philipglass.com/glassnotes/philip-glass-on-apple-music-press-release/


----------



## Manxfeeder

millionrainbows said:


> I'm reading Glass' book Words Without Music, a memoir. Highly recommended.


I was wondering about that one. Thanks.


----------



## millionrainbows

He's an old man, now. I'm glad to see more support for his music among old & young alike. At this point in time, of his life, our life, and music history, he deserves it.

Just think! We are here, experiencing the unfolding of history! This was OUR lifetime. I, for one, am glad to be part of it.

We are united here by our common love of this music, and it follows, the man himself. This is a good thing, no?


----------



## ST4

He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man, now. He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man He's an old man now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.now.


----------



## millionrainbows

oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman ldmano dmanol manold anoldm noldma oldman…oh, sorry, that's Steve Reich...

OOOOOoooooooooollllllllllllldddddddd Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn…oh, sorry, that's Terry Riley.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…sorry, that's Lamont Young...


----------



## millionrainbows

I just got through watching Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, which feature Glass' music. The second one is of interest in the way he uses India-influenced rhythms. I was trying to figure them out while watching. One of them was 1-2-3-1-2-1-2-1-2-3-1-2, which adds up to 12, which is a good basis, because 12 can be divided by 3 or 4, which makes for some interesting divisions.

*Koyaanisqatsi*

*1982*

NR CC


----------



## Skilmarilion

PeterFromLA said:


> Congrats to Glass for being named today a recipient of a National Medal of the Arts.


----------



## JamesMB

I saw a documentary about him. Maybe on Sky Arts and I liked the guy a lot. He was very humble. I very much like the violin concerto but not too keen on other stuff. Koyanisqatsi is worth seeing if you are a human.


----------



## Canaeus

There is also Naqoyqatsi, the third and last in the qatsi-trilogy 

http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/dvdboxart/30668/p30668_d_v8_aa.jpg


----------



## Skilmarilion

Canaeus said:


> There is also Naqoyqatsi, the third and last in the qatsi-trilogy
> 
> http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/dvdboxart/30668/p30668_d_v8_aa.jpg


I'm a big fan of the related Cello Concerto No. 2.


----------



## Skilmarilion

*At Philip Glass's 80th birthday party, audience gift is his joyous Symphony No. 11 - by George Grella*

http://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2...y-audience-gift-is-his-joyous-symphony-no-11/

_Philip Glass's Symphony No. 11 received its world premiere from the Bruckner Orchester Linz Tuesday night at Carnegie Hall.

Philip Glass turned 80 on Tuesday, and to celebrate, the composer, conductor Dennis Russell Davies, singer Angélique Kidjo, and the Bruckner Orchester Linz threw a party in Carnegie Hall. The goodie-bag for the audience was the world premiere of Glass's Symphony No. 11, and quite a gift it was.

Before the second half world premiere, the orchestra played the local premieres of Days and Nights in Rocinha and Ifé: Three Yoruba Songs, with Kidjo.

Even with ten previous symphonies, the experience of Glass played by a full-and in this case large-orchestra is still a novelty. In an odd turn against the usual course of things, it is easier (at least in New York), to witness performances of his earlier, avant-garde masterpieces like Music in Similar Motion, and even Einstein on the Beach, than his orchestral music. That latter constitutes a substantial body of work, and is firmly inside the classical tradition.

The recordings of his orchestral works don't convey the warmth and pleasing thickness of his orchestration and the texture of the sound he produces. [...]

The symphony ... was played with such implicit confidence that one felt the music was exactly as the composer imagined.

Glass's new symphony is closely related to two recent predecessors of his, also cast in three movements, Nos. 8 and 9. Those are two of his finest symphonies, and Tuesday night one was tempted to think the Eleventh the finest of all.

The composer stated in a recent interview that while all his symphonies are identifiably his-there were the unmistakable arpeggiations-they each sound different. The Eleventh had some surprises; the tuba was a prominent voice, with several solo statements in the first two movements, and the percussion section was featured in the third (and final) movement, which started off with a march that sounded fresh off a college gridiron.

Through the first movement and into the second, there was a Brucknerian, dramatic dialogue between the strings and low brass, with an intriguing conversation between the tuba and bass trombone as introductory material to the whole. The structural variety was also unexpected; the first movement could fairly be described as in sonata form, while the middle movement-not quite slow-was divided into a contemplative, lyrical opening section and then a quiet, haunting concluding one. Glass likes rising and falling shapes, and this one descended to a deep, mysterious place.

Those were all elements of how the music worked, and paled in comparison to what the music did. The symphony was full of body-rocking vitality. Glass's forms in the first and third movements built up to climaxes that burst open with joyous excitement. Every moment was compelling in one way or another, whether pointing toward harmonic release, exploding with energy, or just simply lovely. This was forty minutes with neither note nor gesture wasted. The audience-which had a welcome complement of young people and parents with children-delivered rapturous, and deserved, applause to composer and musicians alike._


----------



## Pugg

​
Philip Glass: The Complete Sony Recordings ( out now)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88985337612
For the Glass fans.


----------



## Marinera

Pugg said:


> ​
> Philip Glass: The Complete Sony Recordings ( out now)
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88985337612
> For the Glass fans.


Still have to wait for the reissue of 'La Belle Et La Bete' it was on Nonesuch label.


----------



## millionrainbows

An excellent recording, taken from his tape archives, back when he was recording 24 tracks on to 1-inch tape. He overdubbed parts back then. He was "making records" rather than recording performances, which shows connections to popular music and the way things are done "by ear" as assembled sounds rather than a score. I'm sure a score exists, or could be made, but the point is that he was using the recording process to create the music.


----------



## Pugg

Marinera said:


> Still have to wait for the reissue of 'La Belle Et La Bete' it was on Nonesuch label.


Perhaps they( Nonesuch)make a box of there own, just guessing.


----------



## Marinera

^
just this album's reissue would be enough, it's really long overdue. And i can't imagine what other albums could go in the box set with it. The other 2 Glass cds from Cocteu's opera trillogy 'Les Enfants Terribles' and 'Orphee' are on Orange Mountain Music label.


----------



## jtbell

seven four said:


> View attachment 88964
> 
> 
> Einstein on the Beach DVD soon!


I finished watching the Blu-ray version yesterday. I've heard both of the previous CD versions several times going back to c. 1980, so the music was recognizable. But seeing it for the first time was amazing. I was struck by the detailed choreography, e.g. flicking of pens/pencils in the "Trial" scenes. The camera work helped immensely, with frequent close-ups of the performers.

I watched Acts 1 and 2 in three sessions last week, and was figuring on taking at least two sessions for Acts 3 and 4 this week. I ended up watching Acts 3 and 4 straight through, yesterday. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for more than a few minutes, even with my iPhone in hand.

It inspired me to order the box set of Glass's CBS/Sony recordings from Amazon, even though I've already owned or heard half of them, including the three operas (Einstein, Satyagraha, Akhnaten).


----------



## Ravndal

I listened to metamorphosis and other piano pieces during a 5 hour long bus drive today. And all i kept thinking was "this is pop music, but at the same time its not". Its great though.


----------



## Weird Heather

This article just showed up in the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/at-80-americas-most-famous-composer-remains-a-maverick-the-man-whos-conducted-his-11-symphonies-talks-about-why/2017/02/24/01daec6a-f788-11e6-9b3e-ed886f4f4825_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-arts%3Ahomepage%2Fcard&utm_term=.9fc736d9c19a

I have to be in the right mood, but when I am, I enjoy his music. For some reason, I haven't checked out any of his more recent work, and this article indicates that his style has evolved quite a bit in recent years. Naturally, it has made me curious, and I'll have to add some of these works to my already bloated collection of recordings.


----------



## JAS

Weird Heather said:


> This article just showed up in the Washington Post.
> 
> I have to be in the right mood, but when I am, I enjoy his music. For some reason, I haven't checked out any of his more recent work, and this article indicates that his style has evolved quite a bit in recent years. Naturally, it has made me curious, and I'll have to add some of these works to my already bloated collection of recordings.


I think you have a superfluous http:// at the beginning of your link. Try: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ente...ard-arts:homepage/card&utm_term=.9fc736d9c19a

And it appears that you fixed it on your own just before my post.


----------



## millionrainbows

I think there's something for everyone in Glass. If you want more "classical" sounds, try the symphonies.


----------



## Vaneyes

*Glass* on film music.

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/debate-when-is-film-music-classical


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm reading his memoir "Words Without Music," and it's fascinating. There are many useful details revealed which add to understanding his music. For instance, in many cases, he wrote no master score, he just wrote out all the individual parts for each player. He mentions that other classical works were sometimes composed like this, such as the "Trout" quintet. 
Also, the chapters on Nadia Boulanger and Ravi Shankar are very interesting.
He is (was) a hard-working guy, doing day jobs and getting scholarships, saving money to go to New York, working in a steel mill, interesting stories of his family and youth. I am coming away with even more of a tremendous respect for the man.


----------



## chesapeake bay

millionrainbows said:


>


I'll have to read that, sounds interesting. Now just have to wait for someone to record his 11th symphony


----------



## PeterFromLA

I interviewed Glass back when I was in college radio. I remember using the word "morphological" in one of my questions, and Glass asking me what it meant. I felt both smart and stupid. Smart because I used a word he didn't know, stupid because I couldn't easily offer him a definition, much less an accurate one.


----------



## tdc

One definition of the word* facade *is - _an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality._

I think Glass does an excellent job with this piece in terms of being evocative of the concept presented in the title. This interpretation I find particularly effective, of evoking an atmosphere of _hidden mystery_.


----------



## KenOC

Glass: People complain about pop music built on three chords. How about "classical" music built on only two? At best, music as background for a PBS television series.


----------



## tdc

................................................


----------



## KenOC

tdc said:


> ................................................


That is of course a possibility. I've been told that my understandings are crude and my sensibilities coarse. And this by people whose discernment I value!


----------



## Marinera

tdc said:


> One definition of the word* facade *is - _an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality._
> 
> I think Glass does an excellent job with this piece in terms of being evocative of the concept presented in the title. This interpretation I find particularly effective, of evoking an atmosphere of _hidden mystery_.


Very well said! His music, in general, is very evocative I think. Glass's operas from two trilogies the first one based on historical figures and the second - on Cocteau's films, are very good examples of the effect Glass's able to achieve creating very distinct sound-worlds and atmosphere. If they were visuals they'd be nearly hypnogogic hallucinations. For example, when I think about Akhnaten - it is just incredible how Egyptian it sounds and not only that but it's metaphysically Egyptian. I don't think any other composer could match the results of just how well musically he conveyed that culture. Take any other of his works and you'll find the same - distinctly authentic atmosphere with strongly pronounced metaphysical quality. The methods and the results he achieves are intrinsically linked, same results couldn't be achieved by other methods of composing and I think people criticizing Glass miss the point of his music entirely.


----------



## eljr

Skilmarilion said:


> *At Philip Glass's 80th birthday party, audience gift is his joyous Symphony No. 11 - by George Grella*
> 
> http://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2...y-audience-gift-is-his-joyous-symphony-no-11/
> 
> _Philip Glass's Symphony No. 11 received its world premiere from the Bruckner Orchester Linz Tuesday night at Carnegie Hall.
> 
> Philip Glass turned 80 on Tuesday, and to celebrate, the composer, conductor Dennis Russell Davies, singer Angélique Kidjo, and the Bruckner Orchester Linz threw a party in Carnegie Hall. The goodie-bag for the audience was the world premiere of Glass's Symphony No. 11, and quite a gift it was.
> 
> Before the second half world premiere, the orchestra played the local premieres of Days and Nights in Rocinha and Ifé: Three Yoruba Songs, with Kidjo.
> 
> Even with ten previous symphonies, the experience of Glass played by a full-and in this case large-orchestra is still a novelty. In an odd turn against the usual course of things, it is easier (at least in New York), to witness performances of his earlier, avant-garde masterpieces like Music in Similar Motion, and even Einstein on the Beach, than his orchestral music. That latter constitutes a substantial body of work, and is firmly inside the classical tradition.
> 
> The recordings of his orchestral works don't convey the warmth and pleasing thickness of his orchestration and the texture of the sound he produces. [...]
> 
> The symphony ... was played with such implicit confidence that one felt the music was exactly as the composer imagined.
> 
> Glass's new symphony is closely related to two recent predecessors of his, also cast in three movements, Nos. 8 and 9. Those are two of his finest symphonies, and Tuesday night one was tempted to think the Eleventh the finest of all.
> 
> The composer stated in a recent interview that while all his symphonies are identifiably his-there were the unmistakable arpeggiations-they each sound different. The Eleventh had some surprises; the tuba was a prominent voice, with several solo statements in the first two movements, and the percussion section was featured in the third (and final) movement, which started off with a march that sounded fresh off a college gridiron.
> 
> Through the first movement and into the second, there was a Brucknerian, dramatic dialogue between the strings and low brass, with an intriguing conversation between the tuba and bass trombone as introductory material to the whole. The structural variety was also unexpected; the first movement could fairly be described as in sonata form, while the middle movement-not quite slow-was divided into a contemplative, lyrical opening section and then a quiet, haunting concluding one. Glass likes rising and falling shapes, and this one descended to a deep, mysterious place.
> 
> Those were all elements of how the music worked, and paled in comparison to what the music did. The symphony was full of body-rocking vitality. Glass's forms in the first and third movements built up to climaxes that burst open with joyous excitement. Every moment was compelling in one way or another, whether pointing toward harmonic release, exploding with energy, or just simply lovely. This was forty minutes with neither note nor gesture wasted. The audience-which had a welcome complement of young people and parents with children-delivered rapturous, and deserved, applause to composer and musicians alike._


I still can't believe I missed this.

I did make sure I have tickets for Music With Changing Parts in February of 2018.


----------



## millionrainbows

KenOC said:


> Glass: People complain about pop music built on three chords. How about "classical" music built on only two? At best, music as background for a PBS television series.


Nadia Boulanger's letter to help Philip Glass get a Fulbright fellowship:

_"I've been working with Mr. Philip Glass on music technique. My impression is that he is a very unusual person, and I believe that someday he will do something very important in the world of music."_

Gee, who should I believe, KenOC or Nadia Boulanger? :lol:


----------



## eugeneonagain

millionrainbows said:


> Nadia Boulanger's letter to help Philip Glass get a Fulbright fellowship:
> 
> _"I've been working with Mr. Philip Glass on music technique. My impression is that he is a very unusual person, and I believe that someday he will do something very important in the world of music."_
> 
> Gee, who should I believe, KenOC or Nadia Boulanger? :lol:


She wrote that before hearing any of the works he is famous for.:lol:


----------



## eljr

eugeneonagain said:


> She wrote that before hearing any of the works he is famous for.:lol:


Point?

....................


----------



## eugeneonagain

eljr said:


> Point?
> 
> ....................


An obvious one I would have thought. Along with it being a jest.


----------



## millionrainbows

That's THIS funny.


----------



## eugeneonagain

What's that? A hand-sized measure of his (or your) sense of humour?


----------



## eljr

she had worked with Mr. Philip Glass on music technique

hence it seemed her statement (at least to me) was fair

therefor my question to you, my confusion in interpreting your post, asking for clarification of what you meant


----------



## PeterFromLA

Meanwhile, Erik "Vexations" Satie would have loved Glass's music. I don't doubt that.

And that Mapplethorpe picture is very cool.


----------



## eugeneonagain

PeterFromLA said:


> Meanwhile, Erik "Vexations" Satie would have loved Glass's music. I don't doubt that.
> 
> And that Mapplethorpe picture is very cool.


Yes I agree. I think somewhere along the line a misapprehension has arisen: I am not a critic of Philip Glass's music.


----------



## tortkis

String Quartets Nos.6 & 7 played by Brooklyn Rider will be released on December 8.


----------



## millionrainbows

Brooklyn Rider? Maybe that's a reference to Glass' years as a New York City taxicab driver.

Glass was once asked to write some music for the then-unknown movie Taxi Driver, and he responded, "NO. I drive a taxi eight hours a day, and the last thing I want to do is write music for a movie called Taxi Driver."


----------



## eljr

millionrainbows said:


> Brooklyn Rider? Maybe that's a reference to Glass' years as a New York City taxicab driver.
> 
> Glass was once asked to write some music for the then-unknown movie Taxi Driver, and he responded, "NO. I drive a taxi eight hours a day, and the last thing I want to do is write music for a movie called Taxi Driver."


Brooklyn Rider is a string quartet based in Brooklyn, NY which has been performing for a decade.


----------



## ZJovicic

He's underrated IMO. I too was influenced by the general opinion that minimalism is too simple, repetitive and whatnot. But in fact his works always seemed fresh and sounded good, yet modern to me. Now listening to his String Quartet no. 5... and what can I tell... Good stuff! Really good stuff!


----------



## seven four

ZJovicic said:


> He's underrated IMO. I too was influenced by the general opinion that minimalism is too simple, repetitive and whatnot. But in fact his works always seemed fresh and sounded good, yet modern to me. Now listening to his String Quartet no. 5... and what can I tell... Good stuff! Really good stuff!


Beginning with Einstein on the Beach, he became a post-minimalist....more accessible and made him more popular = $$$$.

Glassworks is where this really took off.


----------



## KenOC

Here's the final scene from _Koyaanisqatsi_ (1982). I remember seeing this with a friend down in the U District and thinking, "Oh wow."


----------



## Shosty

eljr said:


> Brooklyn Rider is a string quartet based in Brooklyn, NY which has been performing for a decade.


I realize I'm a few years late here (and a bit off topic), but my introduction to Brooklyn Rider was from a Cd they recorded with the Iranian Kamancheh player, Keyhan Kalhor (one of my favorite musicians), called Silent City. It's an album I go back to quite a lot, and if anyone here is interested in a collaboration between a Classical string quartet and a master kamancheh player that leads to music that is beautiful, melancholic and yet hopeful, i definitely recommend giving Silent City a shot.


----------



## eljr

Shosty said:


> I realize I'm a few years late here (and a bit off topic), but my introduction to Brooklyn Rider was from a Cd they recorded with the Iranian Kamancheh player, Keyhan Kalhor (one of my favorite musicians), called Silent City. It's an album I go back to quite a lot, and if anyone here is interested in a collaboration between a Classical string quartet and a master kamancheh player that leads to music that is beautiful, melancholic and yet hopeful, i definitely recommend giving Silent City a shot.
> View attachment 132724


not a bad idea ..............


----------



## Avey

tortkis said:


> String Quartets Nos.6 & 7 played by Brooklyn Rider will be released on December 8.


Over two years later, and I have never heard of this. See, this forum has its purposes


----------



## Eusebius12

Yeah, cheap cash, not art


----------



## Eusebius12

Interesting quote from Voltaire there, and apropos

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

Both seem related to the music under discussion.


----------



## millionrainbows

Eusebius12 said:


> Yeah, cheap cash, not art





Eusebius12 said:


> Interesting quote from Voltaire there, and apropos
> 
> Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
> 
> Both seem related to the music under discussion.


I take it you are unsympathetic to Philip Glass? He studied with Nadia Boulanger, after all, and got her "blessing." So who should we take more seriously, you or Nadia Boulanger?


----------



## millionrainbows

eugeneonagain said:


> Yes I agree. I think somewhere along the line a misapprehension has arisen: I am not a critic of Philip Glass's music.


You're either with us or against us.


----------



## Eusebius12

millionrainbows said:


> I take it you are unsympathetic to Philip Glass? He studied with Nadia Boulanger, after all, and got her "blessing." So who should we take more seriously, you or Nadia Boulanger?


Ah I see, argument by authority. I prefer to take the evidence of my eyes and ears. Some of Glass has almost convinced me, at least whilst it was playing. Some of it is the most wretched nothing ever foisted on a gullible public. There was an excerpt played on the radio the other day, something from Satyagraha. It was, I kid you not, a rising c major scale played over and over, without any inflection. What levels of gullibility, aesthetic nullity, do you need to accept that as art?


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## Eusebius12

millionrainbows said:


> You're either with us or against us.


I see, there's a cargo cult mentality going on.


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## millionrainbows

Eusebius12 said:


> I see, there's a cargo cult mentality going on.


I suggest you read the biography, then.


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## eljr

Eusebius12 said:


> Yeah, cheap cash, not art





Eusebius12 said:


> Interesting quote from Voltaire there, and apropos
> 
> Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
> 
> Both seem related to the music under discussion.


arrogance is a sin of self not condemnation of another

you may quote me, peace


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## millionrainbows

eljr said:


> arrogance is a sin of self not condemnation of another
> 
> you may quote me, peace


Okay, I will. Who should I ascribe the quote to, Jesus Christ?


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## eljr

millionrainbows said:


> Okay, I will. Who should I ascribe the quote to, Jesus Christ?


the quote is from me not Mr Christ.


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## Flamme

millionrainbows said:


> You're either with us or against us.


:devil::lol:


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## millionrainbows

Flamme said:


> :devil::lol:


"Mission Accomplished!" Saddam is dead, and Philip Glass is alive!

You're either with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..


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## Eusebius12

millionrainbows said:


> "Mission Accomplished!" Saddam is dead, and Philip Glass is alive!
> 
> You're either with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..with us..


Yes, I feel I have to defend Mr Glass after reading this post, I hope you don't find my remarks too sycophantic. He sometimes reminds me of a senile dementia sufferer, who is wheeled out occasionally, daubed generously with stalactites of his own drool and mired in the stains and odours of self-defecation. He pauses for a moment, to wring the last the portentousness from the coming utterance, and then says something utterly nonsensical, like "I am a bowl of thai green curry". The other senility sufferers in the ward gather round, as if drawn to the mesmeric, prophetic quality of his hortations. "I am a bowl of thai green curry" the incontinent gibberrer intones, over and over again, and after the 100000th utterance the palpable feeling is one of transcendence, catharsis, cleansing from the world of art and intellect.


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## Eusebius12

I have to say, I am in awe of how Mr Glass makes a success of a career in music without any talent, or notable application to his art. There may be a lot of dustmen with far more musical ability than Glass, but Glass is far cleverer as his bank balance no doubt demonstrates.


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## millionrainbows

Eusebius12 said:


> Yes, I feel I have to defend Mr Glass after reading this post, I hope you don't find my remarks too sycophantic. He sometimes reminds me of a senile dementia sufferer, who is wheeled out occasionally, daubed generously with stalactites of his own drool and mired in the stains and odours of self-defecation. He pauses for a moment, to wring the last the portentousness from the coming utterance, and then says something utterly nonsensical, like "I am a bowl of thai green curry". The other senility sufferers in the ward gather round, as if drawn to the mesmeric, prophetic quality of his hortations. "I am a bowl of thai green curry" the incontinent gibberrer intones, over and over again, and after the 100000th utterance the palpable feeling is one of transcendence, catharsis, cleansing from the world of art and intellect.


I think you're missing the subtlety of his work. Those "wrong notes" he throws in every now and then have great significance. Apparently you're stuck on all the "right notes" of what he's doing.


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## millionrainbows

Eusebius12 said:


> I have to say, I am in awe of how Mr Glass makes a success of a career in music without any talent, or notable application to his art. There may be a lot of dustmen with far more musical ability than Glass, but Glass is far cleverer as his bank balance no doubt demonstrates.


Well, at least he got out there and _worked,_ which is more than I can say for you. He installed woodburning stoves, was a taxi driver, moved furniture, worked in record stores...


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## DavidA

Eusebius12 said:


> I have to say, I am in awe of how Mr Glass makes a success of a career in music without any talent, or notable application to his art. There may be a lot of dustmen with far more musical ability than Glass, but Glass is far cleverer as his bank balance no doubt demonstrates.


I must confess after hearing half an hour of one of his much lauded operas that I feel much the same about the gentleman's work. The only enjoyment I got was by switching it off!


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## eljr

Eusebius12 said:


> I have to say, I am in awe of how Mr Glass makes a success of a career in music without any talent, or notable application to his art. There may be a lot of dustmen with far more musical ability than Glass, but Glass is far cleverer as his bank balance no doubt demonstrates.


posts like this just sadden me

why are people so ****** arrogant? i'll just never understand...


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## eljr

Eusebius12 said:


> Yes, I feel I have to defend Mr Glass after reading this post, I hope you don't find my remarks too sycophantic. He sometimes reminds me of a senile dementia sufferer, who is wheeled out occasionally, daubed generously with stalactites of his own drool and mired in the stains and odours of self-defecation. He pauses for a moment, to wring the last the portentousness from the coming utterance, and then says something utterly nonsensical, like "I am a bowl of thai green curry". The other senility sufferers in the ward gather round, as if drawn to the mesmeric, prophetic quality of his hortations. "I am a bowl of thai green curry" the incontinent gibberrer intones, over and over again, and after the 100000th utterance the palpable feeling is one of transcendence, catharsis, cleansing from the world of art and intellect.


i am sure you are no fan of abstract art either


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## millionrainbows

DavidA said:


> I must confess after hearing half an hour of one of his much lauded operas that I feel much the same about the gentleman's work. The only enjoyment I got was by switching it off!


That's interesting...how do you feel about Steve Reich? You know, he's another one.

What is it that you & Eusebius12 are really trying to get at here? You show up on a Philip Glass thread with all this hate & prejudice. What's your real agenda? Who did you vote for in the last presidential election?


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## millionrainbows

Eusebius12 said:


> Yes, I feel I have to defend Mr Glass after reading this post, I hope you don't find my remarks too sycophantic. He sometimes reminds me of a senile dementia sufferer, who is wheeled out occasionally, daubed generously with stalactites of his own drool and mired in the stains and odours of self-defecation. He pauses for a moment, to wring the last the portentousness from the coming utterance, and then says something utterly nonsensical, like "I am a bowl of thai green curry". The other senility sufferers in the ward gather round, as if drawn to the mesmeric, prophetic quality of his hortations. "I am a bowl of thai green curry" the incontinent gibberrer intones, over and over again, and after the 100000th utterance the palpable feeling is one of transcendence, catharsis, cleansing from the world of art and intellect.


It sounds almost as if you are saying that he is somehow genetically flawed. Nothing about his music. Do you think he is ugly? Is his nose too big? Is that it?


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