Glass is an unmitigated bore. The incessant repetition and neo romantic tonality typifies the dumbing down of music in the classical and popular worlds. Unfortunately we're living in a philistine age culturally and politically.
20
@flat5 my tritonic friend, why attack and denigrate others' music? It serves no good purpose.
Personally, I find playing Glass etudes therapeutic, but rarely listen to recordings of his music. To each his or her own.
20
Really?.... I love him.
16
“Newspaper memory” is a category which ought to exist: things one reads in the daily news, which stick in one’s head for the rest of your life.
I grew up reading the LA Times, and their eminent critic Martin Bernheimer was my window into classical music, which I otherwise knew nothing of. But Bernheimer was a good writer, so I read him.
My newspaper memory of Glass dates from four decades ago, with Bernheimer reviewing a Glass concert.
And what I vividly recall from the tone of the review was how Bernheimer was not so much critical as offended. And now having googled Bernheimer, I see he passed away just over a month ago, and his obit in the Post featured one of his digs at Glass.
Ave atque vale.
4
I find his music boring.
Guess I'm not there with Philip Glass. Nor with "musical minimalism." No--not this child.
I can take John Adams--the short ride in the fast machine. Or the Chairman dances. Interesting.
I can take Steve Reich--I remember hearing (I believe) a string quartet by Mr. Reich that--again--was interesting.
But Philip Glass? No I cannot take this guy. Sorry.
I cannot (hidebound reactionary that I am)--I cannot help thinking of music as DISCOURSE. I am SAYING something. I am GOING somewhere. There's a train of THOUGHT somewhere--or a sequence of thoughts.
(And I remember hearing a story of Georges Bizet who--when giving a piano lesson and listening to a pupil play something--would exclaim, "Make a statement! Make a statement.")
Mr. Philip Glass--
--does NOT go in for "musical statements." There IS no discourse--no sequence of thoughts." There is, instead--
--those endless, nightmarish figurations--
--those chords (imagine a whole act of an opera with only two chords!)--those chords that say nothing. I don't even find them interesting.
Sorry, New York Times. I don't mean to sound as embittered and old-fashioned as I do.
But there it is. We are what we are.
And it's not clear to me Mr. Philip Glass--
--would care much in any case what I thought.
We are what we are.
3
I disliked Glass' music intensely until about a year ago. Hearing about the Met's planned production of Aknahten, I pulled the recording off of the shelf, and gave it my first listen in many, many years. I was flabbergasted. What I couldn't understand or process all those years ago, was now deeply, deeply moving. The Hymn To The Sun brought tears to my eyes. It is true: Glass has entered the cultural mainstream. We are ready.
Following Aknahten, I went on a Glass binge - dozens of works/symphonies. Some exquisite, and some less substantial. Regardless, to paraphrase Mahler: his time has come.
And why should he be concerned about his legacy? How can he possibly know, or predict? Isn't that the point of Aknahten Act III?
6
I was (brand) new to New York (and in my 20's) when friends ask me to join them to see Einstein on the Beach at BAM. I have indelible memories of that evening, and became a lifelong Glass fan. I cant wait to see Akhnaten on the 23rd!
6
I've listened to the music of Mr. Glass for a long time now/ I listen to every day actually. It's the one thing that helps me focus positively. Although there's lots and lots to listen to, and to hear (different), I look forward to it every day. His creative collaborations with others seem to bring a new thing from all of them. Someday, there will be a sad day when we understand that there will be no more new creations by him, when we realize that the enormous cornucopia he has bequeathed us is all there is. May he live a thousand years.
4
at its best, great music. Follow up with a Satie chaser.
3
I first saw Philip Glass in about 1983 at a concert in Miami Beach, at the age of 16. It's hard to underestimate the effect that that concert has had on my life. I've loved his music since then, and feel that it has been something of a background soundtrack at various points in my life.
I too have had the experience of seeing people walk out of performances of his, almost seems congenital, like the experience of loving cilantro and seeing that to some people it tastes like soap.
4
He is the maestro of our lives. His music is why and how some of us find joy and meaning. Thank you Mr Glass, you are loved and cherished.
7
Mr. Glass's **Impact** goes way beyond music, as I shall hint at.
In 1989, I was a transfer student at Mr. Glass's alma mater, the University of Chicago. I transferred there because of the culture of deepest intellectual seriousness & rigor, commitment to learning & research, & asking profound questions in a spirit of systematic non-subservience to economic/career motives. What I found there often approximated & even achieved that notion of "liberal education," & in other ways acted against it. Students varied in their commitment to this sort of ideal (& quite a few seemed totally oblivious to it & its role in both the university's present & its past), & even faculty (as must be expected in an institution prizing intellectual freedom & diversity) varied enormously. But the single most important threat to this ideal was the increasingly ascendant & entrenched "human capital" paradigm promoted from the economics department to infect not just much of the university, but radiating throughout the country to seemingly irrevocably transform the country as a whole in the direction of greed, skyrocketing inequality, & cultural, intellectual & political shallowness economicizing everything. The other threat was the almost inevitable "investment" mentality that high tuition breeds in non-aristocrats, who have to justify the expense.
Mr. Glass has publicly raised this issue, including in his example of putting learning ahead of grades, acknowledging the conflicts & tradeoffs involved.
2
Poorly edited/structured comment on my part, hastily written.
What I'd meant to stress was a profile of Mr. Glass in the alumni magazine (perhaps autobiographical essay) describing essentially how the University of Chicago at the time (around 1960) was a kind of oasis of pure learning encouraging students to focus on that purpose to the exclusion of other considerations. Mr. Glass emphasized that the curriculum, rather than presenting gauntlet of accountability- and exam-focused hurdles, the learning experience was self-motivated characterized more by opportunities presented than tasks imposed: Cognitive enrichment superseded all else, to the point that it was understood much of the learning and study was either outside the formal curriculum or otherwise ungraded. Students were expected to be there to learn, and not jump through hoops to polish a report card. That waw the kind of academic culture the university and students maintained to cultivate minds as impactful as Glass's. The opposite of the technocratic standards-and-accountability movement that would (and has) render education a mere multi-year slavish grind.
Mr. Glass in fact notes explicitly that since he eschewed medical career aspirations, he didn't need to worry about his grades and could focus on lesrning instead. We see -and enjoy- the fruits of that orientation.
The University of Chicago published this account to celebrate its culture of "liberal education." No wonder it is more sought after every year.
2
I was fortunate to be present at a showing of Jean Cocteau's
La Belle et la Bete at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto in the mid 90s, with music by and performed by Philip Glass. Extraordinary.
When ever I need a break from this world I settle down with this music, or most other by Mr. Glass.
We live in good times when we have this kind of pleasure to turn to.
9
I saw the original production of Satyagraha at the San Francisco Opera directed and designed by Robert Wilson. It was the most powerfully shattering experience I've ever had in an opera house. I'm seeing Akhenaten next week. I'm sure it will be extraordinary.
8
The first time my wife and I saw a live production of Philip Glass' music was "10,000 Airplanes on the Roof" at Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus. The ensemble played onstage, while the lone actor performed in the 3-D holographic set. The next time we saw any of his music performed live was a showing of the movies Dracula with the ensemble playing live on stage under the movie screen. I would love to be able to see one of his operas performed live. Especially Akhnaten.
7
The musical equivalent of a lava lamp.
5
I first saw the Phillip Glass ensemble at a free concert in the late 1970's at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. I think it was part of a chamber music series, and attracted a well-heeled crowd of tweedy Cantabrigians and Bostonians to hear for the first time this new star of the New Music scene. The hum of excitement in the old wooden concert hall was drowned out by the hum from the amplifiers stacked on the stage - the first sign that this event was going to be something different.
Glass and company, clad in Downtown black, entered to polite applause. Music and microphone stands were adjusted, Glass sat down at his keyboard, crossed his legs (I remember cowboy boots), looked at his players, then nodded his head once, twice, and BAM! The sound exploded, a dense flow of notes that merged into a gushing roar of sound. (I learned it was "Dance" from EINSTEIN Act 2.) It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard, a physical force pushing me back into my seat.
Tears streamed down my face. And then I sensed movement. Turning, I saw a mad dash of concert-goers rushing for the exits, hands clamped over their ears. It was extraordinary.
I became a fan for life, and saw the Ensemble empty a few music halls over the years. Now the ensemble's performance of MUSIC WITH CHANGING PARTS at Carnegie Hall last year seems right at home.
I interviewed him about 15 years ago, and reminded him of the Sanders Theater event; he laughed heartily.
A nice guy, and a musical hero, if not to everyone.
99
@Jaze
"Tears streamed down my face. And then I sensed movement. Turning, I saw a mad dash of concert-goers rushing for the exits, hands clamped over their ears. It was extraordinary."
It sounds like lots of people were repulsed by what they heard. And you were crying. Not exactly a ringing endorsement if you ask me.
1
@David H If you read my comment, I had a similar response to Glass' music (e.g., tears) returning to it after many years. The tears resulted from hearing - and understanding - the sublime beauty contained in the music. I didn't get it in the 80s. I do now.
11
As a hick kid in Savannah, GA I read music and sang in church and school choirs. In '81 or '82 I read an article in my Dad's "Esquire Mag" on this guy with big sad eyes that made music based on concepts from eastern music! I didn't understand it but loved that it challenged my perceptions AND, as soon as I could actually get hold of a cassette found it was beautiful in an alien way to me. Thanks for the jump start on a life in art MR G!
55
Having listened and admired Glass' music for over 35 years I can't help but believe that history will be very kind to him, and that in years to come his music will be synonymous with the other 20th Century great Classical music composers. Try his Violin Concerto called the American Four Seasons -- It's brilliant.
50
The first time I heard Philip Glass's work was In the film Powaqqatsi. I was mesmerized and hooked.
In Boston I saw the Kronos ensemble as they played the musical theme for Dracula at the Orpheum Theatre. I felt so fortunate at the time to have such an experience.
Thank you, Mr. Glass, for challenging my perception not just of music but of life.
74
Back in the early 1990's I was working in the ticket office of The Space Needle in Seattle. At a non-busy time in an early afternoon, Mr. Glass approached the window accompanied by a woman. There were no others in line. I told Mr. Glass about how much I enjoyed his works, and he was, (I think), a bit surprised anyone would recognize him, but offered a genuine 'thank you'. I gave them two free passes. That's all that happened, but it turned out to be a nice day that I look back on.
92
@david
That is soo sweet!
2
As I recall, Andy de Groat was responsible for the choreography of the original 1976 'Einstein', and Ms. Childs was credited as having 'recreated' it for the 1984 production at BAM.
4
Having attended the Days and Nights Festival many times over the nine years that they have been held, I am amused by the writer’s description of where the festival take place...”south of Palo Alto.” The good folks who in live and work down where the festival was founded and happens — in Big Sur on the Central Coast — will be very surprised to hear that is where they live.
5
The soundtrack to the film Koyaanisqatsi, in particular "The Grid" and "Part 2" from Music in Twelve Parts are in my view his two greatest compositions (among many).
9
The first opera I saw at the Met after moving to New York was Satyagraha. The sequence with the gigantic puppets was breathtaking and something I will always remember. I was also lucky enough to see Mr. Glass give a talk in advance of his performance of Book of Longing. I find his work brilliant and beautiful, and a fantastic reflection of the world that we live in. I thank him.
14
@Dominic His work has great appeal for people who are into trendiness, post-modern art, and a lot of drug use. That says it all. He is to classical music as Keith Haring is to serious art.
3
“Oh Lord, oooh you are so big. So absolutely huge. Gosh, we’re all really impressed down here I can tell you.”
4
An interesting piece about an interesting hombre. I have to say as well that the portraits in this piece are outstanding.
6
You haven't lived until you've been at a Christmas Party with KOYAANISQATSI on. That is the end all and be all of celebration.
10
As the mustachioed, not the bearded, Marx once quipped: “Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?” What else can we 80 year-olds do, to retain our day-to-day freedom, but ignore the longer "term"?
4
While I have mixed feelings about PG's music, for the reasons that several commenters have satirically noted in their comments, it is at least admirable that he's enjoyed success and is able pretty much to do what he wants artistically. He also comes across as quite business-savvy, and realizes that commercial work can be just as helpful as "art for art's sake". Two pretty good compositions of his that have been done in STL are his 'Concerto Fantasy' for two timpanists & orchestra, and his opera 'The Trial'. The last opera is worth staging by other companies, as it uses a small company of singers and modest-sized orchestra.
4
I love Mr. Glass's music & have seen him solo & with his ensemble many times. The one thing I have not seen is any of his music played at the San Francisco Symphony since I became a subscriber (only about 10 years, but still). Does anyone know why that is? Does Michael Tilson Thomas just not like his music? For me, it's one of the mysteries of the SF music scene.
5
Philip Glass composed the soundtrack for the film "Notes On A Scandal." The film which stars Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett was excellent but the soundtrack was annoying. One hears it in every scene droning on and on and on. It was horrible.
6
I first discovered Philip Glass's music in the early 1980s and over the years have seen him perform live nearly twenty times. From NYC to Montreal to Dublin to Amsterdam to London to his Days and Nights' Festival. The score to Koyaanisqatsi is pure genius. The man is an American treasure.
15
Metamorphosis piano works are my favorites at this time. The repetition is like a meditation. I’ve wondered whether Phillip Glass wrote these pieces while at his summer home on Cape Breton. Listening to them brings feelings of the gentle waters surrounding that Island.
5
No mention here of what I consider one of Mr. Glass' finest works: Koyaanisqatsi. His film collaboration with director Godfrey Reggio. The title translates from the Hopi as "life out of balance". One of my most memorable concert experiences was a screening of the film with the Philip Glass Ensemble performing the score live.
Every time you see a moving image of a cityscape or train station with the action sped up whether in an ad, a film or TV production it is a direct copy (maybe 'homage to' is better) of Koyaanisqatsi. Released in 1982, Koyaanisqatsi is ever more relevant with each passing year. You could possibly be moved to tears.
Thank you for many years of unique, challenging, forward thinking music Mr. Glass, keep it coming.
34
@Bailey: My first exposure to Glass. I remember being nearly hypnotized watching Koyaanisqatsi.
12
My PG story is similar. I was at a friend’s house when I was about 16 and we watched a VHS tape of Koyaanisqatsi on his dad’s big AV system. I was transfixed.
In college I found a CD of Akhnaten and seeing it live has been on my bucket list ever since. I can’t wait to see it at the Met next Friday.
5
@Bailey It was my first exposure to Philip Glass too and I never forgot it. I became an instant fan.
3
I can listen to about 15 minutes of Philip Glass' music.... by itself.... before irritation sets in.
But paired with visual and/or dramatic imagery......both on film and in the theater.....it's more effective.
Or am I missing something here?
1
You are NOT ALONE.
I find the statement below reason enough to like his music. It is comforting to this aspiring writer (I'm always aspiring) in a harsh world. “I’m pragmatic,” Mr. Glass said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in 10 years. We don’t even get to know what’s going to happen after someone dies. We need to wait until everyone who knew them is dead, too.”
9
Philip Glass has achieved much in his lifetime, no doubt. But his position at the top of the small group of serious minimalist composers is wholly undeserved. The music of both Steve Reich and the minimalist works of John Adams are, in fact, superior. Nothing Glass has composed can equal Reich's monumental "Music For Eighteen Musicians." That Glass is so popular is the result of his skill at self-promotion, combined with his mindless up-and-down, up-and-down, up-and-down music. It's fine to celebrate him—but to place him atop any pyramid of composers is a mistake.
11
Of the three, Steve Reich happens to be my personal favorite, but Glass, Adams, and Reilly, for that matter, are just as important.
In addition, Steve Reich has written much more than just “Music for Eighteen Musicians”. His middle and later works achieve a level of intensity not found in the former.
6
@Scott Wilkinson I agree. I much prefer Reich and Adams; they are better composers than Glass. But I do like Glass as well.
4
@Scott Wilkinson
I personally give Glass a 171.71;
Reich an A--;
and Adams a 467.2
I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that I won't be around for all that : da capo.
11
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Philip Glass
19
I would think he's too busy trying to live down the shame of his shockingly-bad opera about Walt Disney. To have THAT as part of one's legacy...yikes.
To think someone could take the story of arguably one of the most influential creative forces of the Twentieth Century and manage to create something so unflaggingly boring...practically a crime.
I sat behind him at the final dress rehearsal here in Madrid and it was all I could do to keep from booing and hissing him throughout the entire piece. Such an opportunity, and such disappointment.
It made me wish Walt WAS frozen so we could get him out and watch him thaw for three hours...it would've been much more entertaining than what the audience had to tolerate.
2
studying his solo piano works, I fell in love with the instrument.
2
@Katherine Hahn
May I humbly suggest that if you love the piano, you devote your time to the Well-Tempered Clavier. THAT you will never regret.
3
In Katharina Otto-Bernstein’s biography of Robert Wilson, the late choreographer Andy De Groat explains that he choreographed “...the two dances...” for Einstein on the Beach. I assume he means the Field [Space Machine] dances in Acts 2 and 3. As I recall, there were rights problems with that choreography when the opera was revived in 1984, at which point Lucinda Childs choreographed those sections in addition to her Act 1 Train solo. This information is in other stories published by the NYT.
1
I've always thought Mr. Glass's prodigious oeuvre was terribly overwrought, and I can't sit through even one full piece of his without squirming, but I nonetheless found this NYTimes piece enjoyable and thoughtful.
10
I don't suppose he's in line to receive an invitation to the White House from President and Mrs. Trump.
6
@A. Stanton He's been there. Received the National Medal of Arts in 2016 from President Obama.
5
When you create using words for let’s say the most exciting fiction, there’s a lot more thinking going on in your head than when you create music, which or maybe it’s where, it doesn’t matter, when you’re creating music because music has an alphabet of feelings both in meter and harmony or dissonance. And of course if you’re doing this at say something like a piano then the strings are vibrating right there where you are and they surround everything in front of you where you hear, which is a little bit more than thinking and also a lot more immediate.
I would hope you would grow tired of hearing writing or even hearing your acceptance speeches before the music stops and, of course, time is finite. I do suspect one could handle the variety of both speech making and music making. But I’m pretty sure the variety of real death and anything else is a full stop short of this anything else.
My apologies to anyone who accidentally read this. If you read it on purpose, then god almighty I hope you were paid well. But then again or is it then again, see it’s the same I never understood reading except when read back to “itself” which is and seems so time consuming. Enough, even way too much said. My apologies, which are oddly insufficient and somewhat like an etymology of a requiem which gives hope for a little while.
2
Philip Glass and the other so called "minimalists" (unfortunate label) changed the actual rhetoric of music construction. That's a pretty big deal in a musical world that expects things to move along at a brisk pace in predictable 4 and 8 bar chunks. Those who think they are merely hearing tinkly repetition are not using their ears. Those who quibble with the apparent simplicity of the harmony don't understand the natural world's overtone system that we inhabit. With various additive and subtractive procedure concerning beats VS. rests, the minimalists composition evolves organically at a pace more in tune with the natural world. As an example, I've noted the pitch migration in the song of Chickadees on my property in the Black Forest of Colorado for over thirty years. Their original song was pitched B flat - A flat- F. Over the decades the A flat migrated down to a G and eventually the B flat migrated down to an A, giving us the melody to 'Three Blind Mice." (from my essay in 'High Country News' - July 25, 2016) Now I hear all three of the permutations of the original tune gloriously juxtaposed and pinballing off each other in a contrapuntal texture that old Bach himself would enjoy. If this was a Mozartian Classical symphony we would now be in the Development section - hope I live long enough to hear the recapitulation. That's minimalism folks.
Tom Taylor
Composer
13
Why, oh, why can't we get a Blu-Ray of the 2008 Satyagraha production?
13
I’m guessing here, but is it because only 127 people in the whole world will buy it?
1
I first came across him in about 1980 with the movie Koyannisqatsi (he did the score). Visually and aurally stunning! He's a treasure.
20
I discovered Philip Glass in the un-Glass world of rural Oklahoma around 1984. I was a teenager, obsessed with music made by synthesizers, mostly bands from England or Europe, when I got a cassette copy of Glassworks. My mind was kind of blown by it. I did my best to find similar composers, which in the pre-internet world of the mid 1980s, took some time and effort. The hunt though, that was part of the fun of being a music obsessive then. Later, when my favorite band Depeche Mode started incorporating moments of minimalism into their songs, I knew exactly where the inspiration/ideas originated: Philip Glass.
10
I'm not sure it's entirely accurate to say that Philip Glass "does remarkably little dwelling on the past," as he has written a thoughtful memoir, "Words Without Music," released in 2015. In it he talks about his many travels and how he made a living for many years before his composition work could sustain him. A surprising revelation was that he worked as a plumber and contractor in downtown New York into his early 40s. I recommend the book, even to people who might not be devout fans of his music.
17
@Robert Mattaliano
He also worked as a studio assistant for his friend sculptor Richard Serra, another very radical artist.
2
Swoon. Thank you for your work, Mr. Glass. What a fantastic interview!
4
I love GLASS . His soundtrack to The Hours is one of my favorites and GLASSWORKS is a masterpiece to me. Seeing Aknaten in a few weeks on the Met's live broadcast and I am so excited.
10
As far as I am concerned, the end of Einstein on the Beach is part of the Western canon of classical music already and always will be. It is sublime and not just in my opinion, but the opinion of many. It is the later part of KNEE PLAY 5. It starts:
"Two lovers sat on a park bench, with their bodies touching each other, holding hands in the moonlight.
There was silence between them. So profound was their love for each other, they needed no words
to express it. And so they sat in silence, on a park bench, with their bodies touching, holding hands
in the moonlight."
It's an beautiful achievement.
23
“Western canon of classical music”? Eight minutes of gibberish superimposed over a repeating electronic bass line?
6
@David H You forgot to add, "and you kids stay off of my lawn."
11
@Angmar Bokanberry
Kids are always welcome on my lawn. Its noise masquerading as "music" that I cannot stand.
Some brilliant film scores—I find the music for The Illusionist particularly well constructed. In this Glass had a predecessor: Bernard Herrmann in his scores for Hitchcock.
But film scores come in small segments. A whole concert piece by Glass tests endurance, and in the end, it's a test I don't pass. I doubt the concert-going public will long sustain Glass compositions against other American post-modernists such as Corigliano, Crumb, or Rochberg.
3
A real genius and also refreshingly free of the pretension that plagues most academics and composers. The man is like his music, to the point, free of unnecessary ornamentation, and containing Real Emotional Truth.
20
Philip Glass is very creative. Those who like minimalist sound it is ok. For me I prefer the creativity of Mozart, Schubert and Robert Schumann. If I want modern music, one or two Tchaikovsky and Hector Berlioz is fine with me and lets not forget Mahler.
2
fascinated by the differences in taste! i have never been able to sit through any performances of his pieces, whether live or recorded.
5
Andie
The difference between listening to Philip Glass and having a root canal is that after the root canal there is something to show for the time you spent in the dentists chair.
4
I’ve come to love this man’s work. I listen so some of it almost every week. It is so, well, contemporary, and perfectly suited to the times we live in.
6
I have always liked his String Quartet played by the Kronos Quartet, and his film score for Scorcese's "Kundun," but after that, its hard to put him up there with his contemporaries like Arvo Part, or Gorecki, or Reich, among others. Once you've heard a few of his pieces, you know the oeuvre.
7
Glass Pieces performed by the NYC Ballet will always be one of my favorites. My son saw it with me when he was a youngster and at 34, he still vividly remembers it (and enjoyed it!!)
10
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat the same thing enough times, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat the same thing enough times, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat the same thing enough times, the repetition itself becomes interesting.
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition becomes interesting, in itself.
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition becomes interesting, in itself.
If you repeat something often enough, the repetition becomes interesting, in itself.
Or does it?
41
@Allan Wow! I believe you have totally missed the remarkable subtlety and mesmerizing genius of the work of Philip Glass.
17
@Allan
I know a poet who strives to write (oftentimes) and relishes in poems that don't use the same word twice. Like this sentence.
1
@Michael
Mesmerizing alright, but definitely not "genius."
4
I've always loved that quote -
'Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.'
36
@Ann O. Dyne — tell it to Hector Berlioz. Or Andrew Porter. Or so many others whose writings opened ears and eyes.
1
@Ann O. Dyne dancing about architecture sounds pretty interesting.
1
When I was studying Native American history I read that their drum imitates the earth's heart. Extending that metaphor, Glass's underlying score is the human heart in the twentieth century.
31
I respectfully disagree with your “sustained discomfort” assessment. I find Mr. Glass’s work to be mesmerizing, other worldly, expansive and capable of opening up my imagination. It will resonate through the ages, a reflection of it’s time and a wonder to future generations.
53
One of the things this Glass reflection leaves out is Glass's generous mentoring of younger composers and musicians. Consider, for example, Lavinia Meijer, an extraordinary Dutch solo harpist. She's well known in Europe, and she has transcribed some of Glass's piano work for harp. Glass has been performing with her, and now Meijer is composing some exciting work of her own. Glass may not know what his legacy will be, but I see it in Meijer and his other proteges.
26
Yes - and Nico Muhly, to name one more.
2
@SLP
Lovely story
My son was on to Phillip Glass when he was barely a teenager. He introduced me to his music. Glass is a genius. I could listen to Glassworks all day.
27
Violas plat a fifth down from violins not an octave
3
@Toom - Yeah sure, they do of course - but we're not transposing the melodies down a 5th. He didn't change the key of the thing, right? Just pitched an octave lower (and the 'cellos can always grab that G note an octave below the violin's low G)
But you sound like a Vla player and that's one of my favorite instruments.
4
I attended a concert with my father in the village in the nineties, and was a big fan after listening to his glassworks album. If you listen to modern film scores like by Tron by Daft Punk you can hear how modern music has been influenced by (if not cloned from in some cases) him. I was fortunate to meet him after the event and let him know his influence on me as a flutist (albeit in hobby) and was taken by how gracious he is.
18
Glass is the subject of a now well-known "knock-knock" joke;
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Philip Glass, Philip Glass...knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Philip Glass, Philip Glass...knock knock..."
(etc.)
14
@TomF. Indeed! Brings back memories from the mid-80's - a co-worker & I were talking about modern classical when another music lover walked in the room. "Hey Larry, you like Philip Glass, right?"
"Do I like him?
Do I like him?
Do I like him?
Yes!
Yes!
YesYesYesYesYes!"
4
my favorite performance was his solo piano recital down in the basement of the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, of all places. Koyaanisqatsi and Mishima soundtracks are also splendid.
10
Glass is a revolutionary.
And his legacy has been secure for decades.
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Let all the authorities dispense the labels and declarations.
I admire what Mr. Glass did with his life, and I enjoy listening to him.
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@J J Davies
We were lucky enough to approach him in Chapel Hill NC for his 80th Birthday year. Charming!, and an autograph.
A true Gentleman, great Artist.
4
Glass always gets a lot of play - one good reason for staying busy - but he’s interesting nonetheless. The “It doesn’t matter” legacy response was also voiced by Frank Zappa sometime after his diagnosis. I wonder if Glass has heard that, and whether it was a musical or theological answer.
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I’m relieved to read that Mr. Glass is “pragmatic” and does not expect to have much of a legacy. In 10 years, Mr. Glass and his so-called music will be completely forgotten, while Bach, Mozart, Brahms, and Haydn will still be going strong. i’ve always believed that music is supposed to make us feel good, and not be an exercise in sustained discomfort.
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James
If nothing else, your comment is a potent reminder that art “is in the eye of the beholder.”
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@David H
Art’s not a value judgement.
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@David H - Reminds me of when jazz moved beyond Dixieland/New Orleans 2 beat - with simple folk harmonies - towards becoming America's art music (Classical is a European invention). Many folks squawked and protested these advancements, decrying the loss of the 'good old days'. They were called 'mouldy figs.'
Oh yeah, you ain't actually hearing the classical music of those you adore. They really didn't use equal temperament tuning and everything is now pitched 1/2 step higher than in their times. Bach's Ami invention now sounds in A sharp...yuck.
6
His score for Mishima is still one of my favorites.
9
Steve Reich is a minimalist. I've never considered Glass in that class. His music is lush, moving, and full of emotion. Like the romantics. Thank God for the end of twentieth century music.
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Actually, Steve Reich rejects the label, Minimalist.
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