Philip Glass
by John Holbo on October 17, 2009
Amazon is giving away a whole Philip Glass album: The Orange Mountain Music Vol.I
. I’m really, really enjoying it. On the other hand, I’m using it as background music for scanning and doing itsby bitsy Photoshop stuff. It goes up and down and up and down and my hand goes up and down and up and down, and etc., and we seem to be getting on together. When I was in college I hated Philip Glass. I paid a lot for a ticket to a concert, without knowing what I was in for. I was bitterly disappointed. What do you think of the man? Give the album a try, if you are a skeptic.
{ 37 comments }
NomadUK 10.17.09 at 2:58 pm
Well, sh*t. I love Philip Glass, but, being in the UK, Amazon.com won’t let me download it. Any way around that?
Dave Weeden 10.17.09 at 3:34 pm
Ditto Nomad. It made me download the installer thing, and _then_ it told me that as I was outside the US, I couldn’t download the album.
John Holbo 10.17.09 at 3:38 pm
I think the deal is that you need to be a customer with a payment method in the system (even though this is a free item). And your payment method needs to have a US billing address.
Scott Lemieux 10.17.09 at 3:38 pm
“Only an evening?”
John Holbo 10.17.09 at 3:39 pm
Sorry for the inconvenience, Nomad and Dave.
Elf M. Sternberg 10.17.09 at 3:47 pm
I love Philip Glass. Always have; fell in love with him, Laurie Anderson, and Peter Gabriel all about the same time. I have many of his albums, but I’m especially fond of Koyannisqatsi. His vocal works leave me cold, but his instrumentals are fabulous.
Do I have to confess to liking Iron Maiden as well (actually, I think Bruce Dickinson’s solo career was much heavier and more productive) to get back my “middle of the road” cred? Liking Glass is so liberal.
Arin 10.17.09 at 4:45 pm
I’ve always had a particular love for any Philip Glass. Naqoyqatsi, Kundun, etc. It makes this cold Pennsylvania day a little warmer.
Vance Maverick 10.17.09 at 5:04 pm
I loathe Philip Glass. Reich — yes (Music for 18 Musicians in particular). Glass — no, apart from the Chuck Close portrait. But this comes at the right moment for me to try Glass again. Thanks for the pointer!
James Stevenson 10.17.09 at 5:24 pm
I think our opinion of Glass has proceeded in roughly opposite trajectories. I like a lot of his early stuff (e.g. his work through the 70s and 80s, the ‘Protrait Trilogy’ of operas) and a few pieces from more recent decades. But in the last 10 years, I’ve heard a number of his concert works on various occasions they’ve all seemed like bombastic, empty caricatures of his early stuff and minimalism in general (a timpani concerto from about 5 years ago, in particular, was just wretched, and Itapu is probably his most famous recent work but does very little for me). His work as a film composer has been much better; even as Glass the concert work composer has veered off into self-parody, he’s done some incredible film scores (Mishima, Candyman and The Hours being three really stand-out examples). So I’m interested to hear what he’s been up to.
Felix Holt 10.17.09 at 5:59 pm
I think Reich is the superior composer, but I’m still an admirer of Glass’s work. Looking forward to this.
David 10.17.09 at 6:04 pm
Big Glass fan, here. Have been for well over 25 years. Especially the early stuff. Love the string quartets, btw.
Enon 10.17.09 at 6:07 pm
Thanks!
Koyaanisqatsi is a wonderful movie and one of my favorites. I once had the opportunity to see it with the soundtrack played live by Philip Glass and an orchestra. Quite the tour de force to keep the music synchronized all the way through the movie.
There are a number of pieces on this sampler I hadn’t heard before. Again, thanks for sharing this with us.
NomadUK 10.17.09 at 6:16 pm
Sorry for the inconvenience, Nomad and Dave.
Not your fault. I blame the global corporate overlords.
Your fingering of the payment system as the culprit seems likely. I tried a proxy server and that didn’t work, either, so it’s not strictly IP address-based, at least.
That’s all right. I’m sure someone will download it and then promptly upload it onto some server somewhere so I can — er, could get it, if I were willing to do such a nefarious thing as download a piece of music otherwise being given away for free.
Not, of course, that I would ever encourage anyone to provide such a service.
Marco 10.17.09 at 6:23 pm
We could not process your order. The sale of MP3 Downloads is currently available only to US customers located in the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Here’s to the power of globalization.
Steve LaBonne 10.17.09 at 6:30 pm
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Philip Glass.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Philip Glass.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Philip Glass.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Philip Glass.
Knock, knock…
NomadUK 10.17.09 at 6:37 pm
Here’s to the power of globalization.
Globalisation for me, but not for thee, say the power brokers.
Dave Maier 10.17.09 at 6:39 pm
Like James Stevenson and the other David, I prefer the early stuff, up through Einstein on the Beach, though recent film scores work fine (as film scores). I gave up on him completely after Akhnaten, which I found unlistenable. I’ll check out the string quartets though.
I agree as well with Felix that Reich is the superior composer, but he too got boring when he decided he was a Classical Composer and so had to write for orchestra. You (John) might try a couple of Terry Riley’s earlier works: A Rainbow in Curved Air and Shri Camel, and I see that two excellent film scores, Lifespan and Les Yeux Fermés, have been reissued together on one CD.
On the other hand, I find the musical taste of you young ‘uns unfathomable, so take this with a grain of salt….
Steve LaBonne 10.17.09 at 6:55 pm
I’m no young ‘un, but give me a heaping helping of Ligeti and Carter and please hold the Glass (and the Reich, and the Adams).
socialrepublican 10.17.09 at 6:56 pm
The stuff from Fog of War was insanely good
engels 10.17.09 at 7:06 pm
Well, sh*t. I love Philip Glass, but, being in the UK, Amazon.com won’t let me download it. Any way around that?
http://www.bittorrent.com
Dave Maier 10.17.09 at 7:22 pm
I’m not into Adams either. Or David Del Tredici. Remember “the New Romanticism”? Gah.
Billikin 10.17.09 at 8:52 pm
Philip Glass makes Rod McKuen look good.
Lee A. Arnold 10.17.09 at 10:07 pm
Reich is in my favorite playlist (in this order):
Sir Thomas Tallis (England, c. 1505 -1585) — “Spem in alium” 10:04 min. (written c. 1570) — a 40-part motet, performed by Huelgas Ensemble; conducted by Paul Hillier (Sony Classical)
Olivier Messiaen (France, 1908-1992) — “Plusieurs Oiseaux des arbres de Vie” 2:50 (1982) — for 18 woodwinds, (9th movement of “Éclairs sur l’au-delà …”), Orchestre de l’Opera Bastille; Myung-Whun Chun (Deutsche Grammophon)
Kaija Saariaho (Finland, born 1952) — “Lichtbogen” 14:47 (1985-86) — for string quintet, percussion, piano, flute, harp, and live electronics, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne; Lorraine Vaillancourt (UMMUS: University of Montreal, out of print) …another performance available by Avanti Chamber; Hannu Lintu (Ondine)
Steve Reich (U.S., born 1936) — “Proverb” 14:11 min. (1995) — text by Wittgenstein, “How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life” — for three sopranos, two tenors, two vibraphones, and two electric organs, Theatre of Voices with members of the Steve Reich Ensemble; Paul Hillier (Nonesuch)
Kaija Saariaho — “Windows” 10:05 (5th movement of “Maa,” a ballet, 1991) — for voice, strings, flute, harp, synthesizer, and live electronics, performed by a Finnish ensemble under the composer (Ondine)
Ingram Marshall (U.S., born 1942) — “Hidden Voices” 19:09 (1989) — micro-collage sui generis of Eastern European and Russian ethnic vocal lamentation and church bells, digitally processed, plus soprano and strings, realized by the composer (Elektra Nonesuch)
Mrs Tilton 10.17.09 at 10:08 pm
Don’t get me wrong, now; I really like Glass. But Steve @15 has him well and truly taped. To this day I am amazed that a composer could make an entire career out of an arpeggio.
It’s a very nice arpeggio, mind.
bad Jim 10.18.09 at 3:02 am
I’m such a fan that when his birthday comes around I sing:
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
…
A couple of years ago I heard the Kronos Quartet play, I think, Penderecki’s third quartet, which started out slow and got even slower, which should have been excruciating because it was so minimalist, but was entrancing instead.
A reminder to Americans: on Wednesday, 21 October, PBS will broadcast the L.A. Philharmonic’s opening concert with a new work by John Adams, “City Noir.” I heard the live broadcast and I’m looking forward to hearing it again.
Paul 10.18.09 at 4:27 am
I second the the high praise for the score for The Hours. I refuse to watch the movie again because I don’t want to associate the music with any scene or emotion other than my utter attachment to the rhythmic melodies of Glass’s creation.
Kenny Easwaran 10.18.09 at 4:39 am
@4 – that’s one of my favorite Simpsons lines ever!
And I don’t know which combination of previous commenters I’m agreeing with or disagreeing with when I say that Ligeti, Reich, and Adams are probably my three favorite composers of the last few decades (though I’ll admit that Adams is a bit uneven, and I haven’t heard what Reich’s been up to in the last several years). I think of Ligeti as combining American minimalism with European music of the ’60s, while I suppose Adams combines American minimalism with Mahler and the like.
LFC 10.18.09 at 5:02 am
This has nothing to do with Philip Glass. I just want to compliment Felix Holt on his (or, less likely, her) clever choice of a handle. I hope that, somewhere, George Eliot is smiling.
MikeJ 10.18.09 at 5:36 am
That’s all right. I’m sure someone will download it and then promptly upload it onto some server somewhere so I can — er, could get it, if I were willing to do such a nefarious thing as download a piece of music otherwise being given away for free.
I’m allowed to download it and still so much of a pain in the ass to go through three or four clicks for each track that I can’t be arsed. Even when they give stuff away it’s still more inconvenient than the way normal people use the internet.
Z 10.18.09 at 2:14 pm
Love Philip Glass, always have, especially Song from the trilogy and Glassworks.
d.e. 10.19.09 at 3:51 am
[sorry, I decided to delete the link d.e. provided, since it went to a source that offered a download option ‘for readers of C.T’. Normally I wouldn’t consider myself responsible for potentially legally fraught download links to material hosted by others. But in this case having the link on C.T. might be considered legally dicey. (Just because they are giving it away on Amazon doesn’t mean we have the right to give it away blahblahblahfineprint.)
sorry to be an IP party-pooper.] – the Management
Substance McGravitas 10.19.09 at 4:26 am
Many thanks!
NomadUK 10.19.09 at 7:26 am
Thanks for that, d.e. Gotta love teh Internets.
Sock Puppet of the Great Satan 10.19.09 at 4:17 pm
“I gave up on him completely after Akhnaten, which I found unlistenable. I’ll check out the string quartets though.”
Funny, I heard a amateur production of Akhnaten, and found it wonderful. But I saw him in concert (“Monsters of Grace”) and found it disappointing. Recordings of his works I’ve enjoyed greatly. Love Adams, ever since hearing “A Short Ride in A Fast Machine” on the Old Grey Whistle Test.
Substance McGravitas 10.19.09 at 5:14 pm
I hope Mvt. I, Concerto Fantasy is some sort of joke because I laughed quite a lot.
Xanthippas 10.19.09 at 11:42 pm
Goodness, thank you! I love Philip Glass, and have since I first heard him. I imagine he will remain one of my favorite composers.
David 10.21.09 at 11:45 pm
Now, as noted earlier, I’m very much a Glass fan, but I tossed Mvt. I, Concerto Fantasy without finishing listening to it. Gives gratuitous bombast a bad name.
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