Koyaanisqatsi
Glassworks
The Photographer
Einstein on the Beach
are all good places to start |
The soundtrack "Northstar" (sometimes called "Etoile Polaire") was Glass' crossover breakthrough for rock fans. If you're coming at his music from that angle, this is a good start.
I saw his ensemble perform the piece live sometime in the '70s and took away one message:
Play this loud!
If you're not coming at this from a rock fan's perspective, Stvecham's choices are spot on-
Glassworks and the Photographer being the prettiest music (to my ear) and
Einstein being the most ambitious.
Enjoy!
Marty
PS For a further rock music connection, Glass collaborated with the band Polyrock on their first LP. This is a great rock record that strongly echoes some of the themes heard on North Star. |
I have a Sharper Image Plastic Fan. It works great. |
Einstein on the beach is one of my favorites.
if you're getting into philip glas koyanisquatsi is a film you MUST see. it's all visuals and score. the greatest film ever made |
if you like Glass
also try Steve Reich
music for 18 musicians
and others |
Aguas da Amazonia by Utaki and Glass.
Fantastic!
It is in my changer as one of five I play ALL THE TIME. |
Well, that narrows it down! (LOL)
All good suggestions. In addition (just to confuse you) he did the music for a Jean Genet play, "The Screens," in collaboration with Foday Musa Suso. Absolutely terrific CD. I saw the two of them perform it a few years ago.
I also saw Glass with an ensemble perform with Robert Wilson doing a 3D film in the background -- very cool! |
Thanks everyone for your informed suggestions! Audiotomb, you mention similarity to Steve Reich; in reading a bio of Glass, I understand that Steve Reich and John Adams are also key players in the minimalist music school (along, of course, with Terry Riley--the namesake for The Who's "Baba O'Riley"). Can you tell me anything about Reich or Adams? |
I like: Songs From Liquid Days
fun but still has the trademark Glass sound |
I have all of the following and like them all.
Koyaanisqatsi (I also have the movie DVD)
Powaqqatsi (I have the movie DVD for this too)
The Photographer (on Vinyl)
Songs From Liquid Days (On Vinyl- Great!) |
Reich uses more mallet instruments and sparser instrumentation
Music for 18 musicians is a great starting place
Peter Gabriel's San Jacinto has Reichian flourishes
I saw Glass in Detroit around 83
his consort was playing at Rock volumes
at one point I was dead tired and bored
then it was like the sky opened up and passages varying slightly overlapped in a way that was totally mesmerizing
performers used to bitch about his repetitive parts until they were in the midst of the full score
an odd tidbit, Glass was working as a cab driver in the early 70s to make ends meet before Einstein
Glassworks is the most accessible Glass piece
Einstein is fun
Koyanisquatsi is a must have film and you get the soundtrack gratis
I've heard Adams but not enough to comment,
enjoyed it
if you enjoy these try Brian Eno's Music for Airports |
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I get the same effect from letting my damaged CD's skip |
Audiotomb -
I had to smile at your description of the PG Ensemble live:
it is almost word for word the way I've described it in the past;
Nearly asleep, then BAM! (apologies to Emiril) like it's almost a physiological effect. You certainly walk away appreciating the impact that music at high spls can have.
If I recall, the music press was calling it "trance music".
Marty |
The soundtrack for "Mishima" is beautiful as is the "Photographer". The "Low" symphony is one of Glass's most understated and, IMO, best compositions. Gosh, I just counted and I have 44 Glass Cd's! I've been a fan since Eistein on the Beach. On the simpler side, some of Glass's solo piano compositions are stunning. Because of the signiture "big" sound of much of his classical music, I have found that some of his music has been badly recorded creating a muddy "wall of sound" result. However, there are certainly more excellent recordings than bad. |
I have his face on my wall... via Chuck Close, but his music hasn'r really grown on me. |
Check out what he did with Bowies music |
Thanks Elizabeth for the Aguas da Amazonia recommendation. I just picked it up and it is wonderful! |
Einstein on the Beach is amazing.. try to find the original 4 LP set with the book.
I also love the Kronos Quartet Philip Glass album, but I don't remember the exact title. |
Galeriehughie, I also have Glass on my wall courtesy of Close. Mine is on silk. |
Aguas da Amazonia is nice. It has a dreamlike quality, less noisy than some of his albums... |
Phillip Glass is BIG arpegio dude. Every piece sounds like musicians practicing arpegios of different kind, minor, major, suspended, diminished, pentatonic, quadratonic -- whole composing career is pure arpegio etude.
I guess he's somewhat similar to Chopin, but Chopin used a lot more practicing scales than just an arpegio. |
To me, Glass sounds like someone trying to pass an entry class exam for
Composition 101 at a Bible School .And failing .
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