Some Were, and Some Are
It was through my appreciation of Philip Glass well into my adulthood that I was exposed to the music of David Bowie. A few of Bowie’s iconic works formed the inspiration of some of my favorite Glass pieces. …
Tag Archives: Philip Glass
Philip Glass for the New Listener
So, you’ve heard of Philip Glass and want more. The list of Glass compositions and performances is very long, so choosing what to listen to next is not a trivial task. I’m here to help. This post is a curated list of the approachable Glass pieces that I recommend for those just starting in their shiny new Glass obsession.
On traditional opera
I love many kinds of music, including classical — especially modern classical, and particularly the music of Philip Glass. But despite my fandom of Glass and my adoration of his earliest work in opera, I have a confession to make:
Glass surprises
Whenever I talk about Philip Glass to people outside of the musical world, I usually meet with blank stares. When asked if there was anything by Glass that they may have heard, I start listing some of the many, many soundtracks that Philip Glass has scored (and repurposed), and I usually get an “a ha!” from the person… Read More »
My obsessive Glass collection
I am quite a fan of the music of Philip Glass, and for many years I’ve purchased almost every CD of his music that I could find. In the mid 20-teens I slowed down this trend, as there are so many recordings
I am a Glass Head
Back in the 70s, there was a band of merry Grateful Dead fans who traveled the world following their favorite band. These were the devoted Dead Heads. I am a Glass Head.
New York City & Akhnaten – December 2019
Early in 2019 I purchased tickets for me and my brother, Tim, to attend Philip Glass’ Akhnaten in New York in December. I saw this opera a few years earlier in Los Angeles, but it was the last of Philip Glass’ Trilogy that Tim still needed to see, so of course I had to see it again.
Brussels & Einstein on the Beach – June 2019
My brother and I enjoy seeing interesting or notable performances of the music of Philip Glass. Having learned of an unusual new performance of the music of Einstein on the Beach taking place in Brussels, we knew we had to make a brief trip there from our homes in Portland, Oregon, USA to attend. This would be our… Read More »
On Meeting Philip Glass
Anybody who knows me even in the slightest knows that I’m just a tad partial to the music of Philip Glass. Late in the Fall of 2017 I went to a Portland performance of his Dracula, performed by the Kronos Quartet with Phil playing the second keyboard, (a part he later added to the piece just for himself… Read More »
London & Satyagraha – January 2018
Having seen Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten, I had just one more opera to see, Satyagraha, in order to have seen Glass’ entire “Portrait Trilogy.” When I learned, in mid-2017, that a revived production of Satyagraha by the English National Opera was going to premier in London in 2018, naturally I got tickets for myself and… Read More »
Amsterdam and Einstein on the Beach – January 2013
I traveled to Berkeley, California, in October 2012 to see Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach. It was the first time I’d seen it, and it was nothing short of spectacular. The following month, I was telling my brother, Tim, about it. I told him that I was kicking myself that I hadn’t arranged to see it again… Read More »