Philip Glass

[Salvador Dali Lama]

Is this guy the man or what?

I've sort-of liked him for a long time now, had bouts of enjoying stuff he did and bouts of hating it all because it sounds so similar. Or so I thought at the time.

But I guess when I was watching Mishima last night, it clicked for me if you know what I mean. Thats not to say I didnt get his music before and now I do, but all of a sudden I cant get enough of this guy. Good God. The Mishima score is awesome. I don't actually have anything by him other than the Qatsi movies on DVD, which to me are as much about his music as they are the visuals. I'll probably go burn some money on Glass records tomorrow. I figure maybe now is the time for me to join the majority of middle class Americans in debt.

I think I'll go watch some Qatsi's for now.

but anyway, what do you guys think of Glass?

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Good to drink out of. Good to see through.

See also Cup, and Window.

[Pete C]

Originally posted by Salvador Dali Lama
Is this guy the man or what?

what

[bluenoter]

The trajectory of old Glass threads seems to be strong putdowns, qualified putdowns, and finally grudging acknowledgments that a few older Glass works are great.

You go, SDL!

[moneyp]

So now I suppose it's a bad time to say that I never really cared for him, huh?

[Pete C]

Surely someone will pipe in and say the Einstein On The Beach is the greatest opera ever written.

[dbrhythm]

I've only listened to a few. Of those, the one I like the most is "Music with Changing Parts." When the time calls for it, there's no other. The one I hate the most is "Low Symphony -- from the Music of David Bowie and Brian Eno."

[graypencil]

Sorry, SDL and other Glassophiliacs ..

cant buy Glass' ..uh .."music"... I absolutely abhor it without any reservation, ALL of it.. regardless ..

To me , it's the musical equivalent ( and even qualifying it as "music" for the sake of comparison gives me agita ) of Walter Keane or Walter Kincaide artwork ..

endlessly repetitive rote sequences of pandiatonic pablum played by several keboard players.. with an occasional soprno sax ( or vocal) melodic element superomposed to enhance the illusion that he's actually going anyplace from a musical structure viewpoint ..

I once watched thirty minutes of "Koiaannosquatsi" (sp?) in a theatre ..but then had to leave with a screaming migrane from the relentlessly LOUD AND REPETETETETETIVE borning score ..

you want the Republican Guard prisoners to confess and tell us where the alleged WOMD are hidden ?

..lock 'em in a room with a Philip Glass score playing on a loop .. at about 100 Db ..

..they'll give up everything in less than two hours ..




I trust I've belabored this screed of musical abhorrence sufficiently

[Salvador Dali Lama]

See this is what I thought for a long time too. I thought he heard an Eric Dolphy record, found one riff he liked, and built his entire repitoire on it. But theres so much more to it than that. You just have to listen differently, I cant quite explain it. I used to shit on him real nice like. But now I understand how to listen to his work. The repetition in it is key. Theres actually a lot of sublte things going on. All I can say is check out the Mishima soundtrack, maybe it will convert you like it did me.

There was also a time when I didnt "get" Ornette Coleman. Keeping, or trying anyway to keep a relatively open mind is best.

[graypencil]

SDL:

well:

Eric Dolphy ..yes, no problem

Ornette ..still no problem

Schoenberg
George Crumb
Lotoslowski
Boulez
Ligheti
and a long list of other actual composers ..no problem at all

Glass ..well, I'll leave him to you with my compliments ..

[BFrank]

I found his music to "The Hours" unbearable. Partly because it was pushed too far up front in the soundtrack. Otherwise it was more of the same. Endlessly repeating scales played on electronic instruments (I think this has been mentioned already).

[graypencil]

Instant Philip Glass Generator:

Take the 5 white key notes on a piano ( CDEGA ) ..repeat in some form at the rate of 20 notes per second ..

add: ( after about a mid numbing half hour ..)

some permutation of the above ( say, AEGDC ) repeated in a different octave at the rate of, say 23 notes per second ..just a bit faster to gradually go out of phase with the first mind numbing thing ..creating a slow motion audio trainwreck ..

repeat the above ..with another permutation ..in another octave ..at 17 notes per second ..

add a long note bass drone that resembles an elk in rut ( slowed down ..)

over all this: adda soprano sax or out of tune soprano essaying something construed as a arioso melody ..

continue for two hours ( or as long as you can stand it )

[Jimmy Cantiello]

I can see right through that guy...................

[Underhound]

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Phillip Glass"


http://home.attbi.com/~hardorange/html/glass.html

[Salvador Dali Lama]

hahahaha thats a good one Underhound.

I'm suprised so many of you dislike him so much. Have any of you heard Passages with Ravi Shankar, Glassworks, or the Mishima Soundtrack? Or even the score to Kundun, that was pretty nice too.

Theres a lot more going on in the music than one or two superficial listens will allow.

[frankpop1]

u can always tell when people havent heard glass, since none of his music ever repeats upon close listening. but yeah, i would 1st recommend 'einstein on the beach' as for lil peter big c(unt), never mind, he has no idea of music , let alone any idea of what a toothbrush is by his own admission. yak, dont breath my way!

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally posted by Pete C
Surely someone will pipe in and say the Einstein On The Beach is the greatest opera ever written.

That distinction goes to Trillium-R

[Salvador Dali Lama]

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
That distinction goes to Trillium-R

totally.

[BFrank]

Found this in a Google search. A reference to Glass' appearance on "South Park". Kinda sums things up.

Announcer:
And now, South Park Elementary presents the Happy Non-Offensive, Non-Denominational Christmas Play, with music and lyrics by New York minimalist composer Philip Glass.
The children are in green leotards dancing about strangely.

Philip:
As I turn and look into the sun, the rays burn my eyes. (happy, happy, happy, everybody's happy). How like a turtle the sun looks....

Sheila:
What the hell is this?!?

Music:
(happy, happy, happy...)

Sheila:
This is horrible!

Priest:
This is the most god awful piece of crap I've ever seen!

[Tom Storer]

I like some Glass circa early 80's, I think "Glassworks" is what I'm thinking of. Haven't really gotten into him in a big way but I get the impression that he's way too prolific. And doing a David Bowie thing really killed his credibility in my eyes.

I saw him in concert doing that Glassworks kind of stuff. It was surprising - him on electronic keyboards on one side of the stage, another keyboardist at the other, violins, alto sax and vocalists in the middle, all playing that rapid-fire minimal-variation arpeggiation stuff very fast and at rock-concert volume. It was exciting due to the sheer speed and coordination and loudness.

[bluenoter]

Originally posted by frankpop1
as for lil peter big c(unt), never mind, he has no idea of music , let alone any idea of what a toothbrush is by his own admission. yak, dont breath my way!

What a charming, literate, mature guy you seem to be.

[Captain Hate]

Not to take issue with B Frank's taste, but I found Glass's music at the beginning of The Hours, when they were shifting from time-frame to time-frame, very effective.

[graypencil]

Originally posted by Captain Hate
Not to take issue with B Frank's taste, but I found Glass's music at the beginning of The Hours, when they were shifting from time-frame to time-frame, very effective.

Actually, in the hands of skilled film composers ( like Thomas Newman ) , the tools and methods of minimalsim are sometimes very effective.

Glass, OTOH, manages to consistently in a film context find ways to intrude on the scene ( whether by music volume.. or activity in relation to dialogue and/or scenic mood )

As somebody mentioned earler, Glass has ( whatever you think of his work ) managed to spread himself way too thin ..

He's sorta the Wynton Marsalis of art/classical film musc , IMO

[Fred K]

When it comes to the minimalists, I prefer John Adams and Michael Nyman to Phillip Glass, but I like a lot of what I've heard by Glass. The Mishima film score is very good. Glass also re-scored the original Bela Lugosi "Dracula" for the Kronos Qt. It's a beautiful piece of music that holds up well on it's own. The Kronos Qt. recorded Glass's string quartets (one is a reworking of the Mishima score) for Nonesuch that I would recommend. I'm a David Bowie fan and like the Low and Heroes Symphonies, but I'm not sure I would recommend them to non-Bowie fans. I'm not too familiar with the operas but I will get to them eventually.

[Sergio Zamora]

I dig the Dracula score too, Fred.

For a while, I had a yearning to really investigate Glass' work, but for whatever reason I lost interest over time, and I never did get too much of his stuff. I really haven't listened to any of his stuff in a while.

[john williams]

I think there are a few worthwhile Glass releases. For those who don't 'get it' try reading "Writings on Glass" by Richard Kostelanetz (ed) for some useful insight into the music. Some of the essays are quite critical but those who dismiss Glass's music as simplistic simply haven't listened properly. To compare him with Ligeti, Schoenberg etc is simply ludicrous. However, some criticism could be levelled at those guys for thier 'intellectual' approach to music which sometimes leaves little that is aesthetically pleasing to the ear. Having said that I own a few Ligeti CDs and like them immensely.

Kundun
String Quartets
Dracula
Akhnaten
Satyagraha
Einstein on the Beach (re-recorded version on Elektra/Nonesuch)
Koyaanisqatsi
Mishima
The Hours
Passages

Steer clear of Itaipu, any of the 'symphonies', Hydrogen Jukebox and North Star.

I also like John Adams, particularly the Violin Concerto, Shaker Loops, El Dorado, Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China.

[frankpop1]

salvy, u will find most of these critics have little heard his best. his best work lies in the days of 'einstein' & b4, but then go to 'koyanisqatsi' (did anyone mention 'koyanisqatsi'?)where he collaberated with wilson again . many critics agreed that this was the greatest film in history, despite the absence of dialogue and plot. the term post-modernists is sprinkled about often, yet this film is post-modernist.glass.

glass is a largely an exponent of coltrane's middle period. about all minimalists were listening to coltrane. listen to 'impressions' or 'chasin' the blues' -- it's glass. also glass had a profound influence on others. many favor reich or adams over glass, but w/o glass half of their material would not exist. their copping is almost embarrassing, but actually a testament to glass. even braxton wrote and dedicated a solo piece to glass, and where would his gtm be w/o glass.

i often refer to the film that concerns sculpturist di suvero, where the recording 'north star' evolved. another peverse enjoyment includes the collaberative work entitled 'liquid days.' my favorites included paul simon and suzanne vega. and songs sung by linda ronstandt and the roches worked best.

u dont have to have validation from these guys, salvy. most are captured by a blow out or catchy rhythym. they dont explore composition or subtleness. no, glass is neither repeats nor is he redundant. u hear his comp's move ever so slowly across then to where b4 u know it, he's zapping new territory. it's american music modern to ancient.

[graypencil]

Originally posted by JBW
Some of the essays are quite critical but those who dismiss Glass's music as simplistic simply haven't listened properly....... To compare him with Ligeti, Schoenberg etc is simply ludicrous......
I also like John Adams, particularly the Violin Concerto, Shaker Loops, El Dorado, Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China.

Somehow, I can't accept my ( or others herein) dimviewing of Glass , or my comparisons of him to other 20C composers as "ludicrous" .. in my case, I do have some background to back up my remarks about both Glass' so called music and the others that you so deem ..

If you like Glass ..fine ..its your ears and your sensibility and I dont brand your liking of his work as ludicrous .. however, for me and others, Glass is the Walter Kinkaide of Art music.

We do agree on John Adams , though ..

[Tom Storer]

Originally posted by frankpop1
glass is a largely an exponent of coltrane's middle period. about all minimalists were listening to coltrane. listen to 'impressions' or 'chasin' the blues' -- it's glass. also glass had a profound influence on others. many favor reich or adams over glass, but w/o glass half of their material would not exist. their copping is almost embarrassing, but actually a testament to glass. even braxton wrote and dedicated a solo piece to glass, and where would his gtm be w/o glass.

I can't claim to be an expert, but I was under the impression that Reich and Glass are more or less the same age, and were working simultaneously in similar areas, rather than one strongly influencing the other. Reich certainly sounds a lot different to me, not like "embarassing copping" of Glass.

[David Gitin]

Steve Reich's "Come Out" piece was written in '66, released in '67, if memory serves; Terry Riley's "In C" precedes both Reich and Glass.