Philip Glass - From the Philip Glass Recording Archive, Vol. II: Orchestral Music
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Philip GlassComposer: Philip Glass
Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies
Orchestra: Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Relache Ensemble
Performer: Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Relache Ensemble
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2007-07-31
Music Label: Orange Mountain Music
Soundtracks:
- Days And Nights In Rocinha - Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
- Family
- Galatea
- Beds
- Cocktail Party
- Perceval
Free Music Notes for From the Philip Glass Recording Archive, Vol. II: Orchestral Music
Free Music Review: A great release - much better than Volume I
Hit: 5 Stars
I am a tremendous admirer of the music of Philip Glass (b. 1937). Glass' music has an arresting quality that is quite unlike anything else in classical music. And this release showcases some of the best qualities of Glass' style.
The present release represents Orange Mountain's second volume of music from the `Philip Glass Recording Archive'. In comparison to the first volume (Philip Glass: Theater Music Vol. 1), I find this release to be far superior. In my opinion, the musical material on the first volume was somewhat bland; and the whole production was plagued by poor sound engineering. But, I am happy to report that the sound quality on this release, while not excellent by modern recording standards, is far better. But more importantly, the two compositions recorded here contain many of the entrancing elements that make Glass one of my favorite modern composers.
`Days and Nights and Rocinha' (1998) is 23-minute orchestral work built upon a series of three versus two rhythmic motifs (beginning as: 3+3+2+2+2+2). If you are trying to tap along (and this is a compulsion I have with most of Glass' music), you will probably get tripped up as Glass begins to switch some of the twos and threes around as the piece progresses. Perhaps, this is what I like most about Glass - that is, despite the music's repetitiveness, there are usually more than a few twists to surprise the listener when he or she least expects it.
The structure of `Rocinha' is arch-like; beginning softly, gradually intensifying as instruments are weaved into the orchestral texture, then finally fading away to nothing. Noticeably absent from this piece are Glass' trademark arpeggiations, which usually serve to provide a sense of forward momentum to much of Glass' music. But that's not to say there is no momentum in `Rocinha' - far from it. Instead, the momentum here is provided by a rich bass line, which emphasizes the rhythmic irregularities mentioned above, as well as Glass' distinctive use of percussion (castanets, woodblock, etc.). The piece itself was inspired by a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. I suspect that Glass may have been trying to capture some of this region's exoticism through his incorporation of pitched percussion in this piece. Even though this piece, on a whole, is more subdued than most of Glass' compositions, I found it to be wholly engaging. In short, this is an exciting, and endearing, piece of music.
`Persephone' (1994) is a five movement suite for chorus and orchestra. This work did not win me over as readily as `Rocinha', but after a couple of listenings, I was beginning to pick up on some of Glass' interesting nuances. Glass' subtle orchestral effects and wordless choral accompaniment give the suite an airy, dream-like quality. However, my favorite movement here is fast-paced `Cocktail Party' (Track 5), with its swirling rhythmic undercurrent and pounding climax. I will note that the sound quality for the suite seems slightly fuzzy in comparison to `Rocinha', but not to the degree that it took away from the music.
In conclusion, this is a great release and should be acquired by all of those who enjoy Glass' unique style. I do have some slight reservations over the suite's audio quality and short disc duration (there's room for at least one more piece!), but these quibbles do not prevent me from giving this release my most enthusiastic recommendation.
TT: 49:48
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