Philip Glass is one of this era’s great, treasured composers. He’s done soundtracks, no doubt, but his more enduring pieces are also his classical compositions that stretch into opera, solo piano, string quartets, and other styles. Additionally, he has entered Pop culture with Dracula soundtrack, now included in re-releases of the film, and his three interpretive symphonic works with David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy (Symphony 1: Low [1992], Symphony 4: Heroes [1996], Symphony 12: Lodger [2019]). All in all, Philip Glass has produced 14 symphonies.
On January 26, the Philip Glass-specific Orange Mountain Music label will collect a string of seven piano works and package them as Philip Glass Solo. These are recordings of music that Philip Glass had composed and, during the pandemic, he worked on them on his personal piano creating a more personal set with them. He had this to say about Solo: “This record revisits my works for piano. From 2020-2021, I had time at home to practice the works I have not played for many years. This record is both a time capsule of 2021, and a reflection on decades of composition and practice. In other words, a document on my current thinking about the music. There is also the question of place. This is my piano, the instrument on which most of the music was written. It’s also the same room where I have worked for decades in the middle of the energy which New York City itself has brought to me. The listener may hear the quiet hum of New York in the background or feel the influence of time and memory that this space affords. To the degree possible, I made this record to invite the listener in.”
Philip Glass Solo will be released on CD, DD, and vinyl LP. The cover art will feature the oil portrait of Philip Glass by Luis Álvarez Roure, which is on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Enjoy “Opening” below.
Philip Glass Solo – Philip Glass
01 Glass: Opening
02 Glass: Mad Rush
03 Glass: Metamorphosis I
04 Glass: Metamorphosis II
05 Glass: Metamorphosis III
06 Glass: Metamorphosis V
07 Glass: Truman Sleeps