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Philip Glass Symphony No.9

Started by Alan Howe, Tuesday 27 March 2012, 20:42

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Alan Howe

Glass' Symphony 9 is to be released soon...
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Orange%2BMountain/OMM0081
Does anyone out there know anything about it?

Dundonnell

The Glass 9th can also be downloaded from I Tunes for the very reasonable price of $9.99. There are some short samples available there to listen to.

I suspect that this is the Glass NINTH with all that that magic number seems to mean for composers-a mixture of Bruckner/Sibelius/meets Minimalism.

Despite the fact that Glass and his record Company (Orange Mountain Music) continue to have the cheek to issue their cds at full price and at short measure-less than 50 minutes of music, with no coupling, I shall buy the cd because I have bought all of the Glass orchestral ouput to date and admit to rather liking his music >:(

Delicious Manager

But surely one only needs ONE CD (at most!) of Glass's music. You've heard one set of tiresome repetitions of simplistic triadic patterns, you've heard them all, surely?

Alan Howe

It depends whether that is all Glass is doing in his 9th...

Delicious Manager

Quote from: Alan Howe on Monday 02 April 2012, 16:25
It depends whether that is all Glass is doing in his 9th...

As always, yes it is.

chill319

The excerpts I heard on NPR are accurately described in this Variety review:

QuoteAnyone seeking a stylistic breakthrough will not find it here, for Glass sticks resolutely with the obsessively repeating arpeggios, motorized rhythms, brooding minor-key passages, occasional touches of South Asian-influenced percussion, and the other trademarks that he recycles from piece to piece.

Christo


Alan Howe

This is either utterly mesmeric music, or a total bore. The question is: which?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaXXjHG9v0

Delicious Manager

Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 03 May 2012, 23:51
This is either utterly mesmeric music, or a total bore. The question is: which?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaXXjHG9v0

The latter. Always.

Dundonnell

Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 03 May 2012, 23:51
This is either utterly mesmeric music, or a total bore. The question is: which?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaXXjHG9v0

I shall let you know later this month when I cobble together the cash to buy the cd ;D

nigelkeay

John Adams on Philip Glass (youtube) ".... there's some chord progressions that really almost come out of pop music but they're done in a "Glassian" manner..."

Alan Howe

Quote from: Delicious Manager on Friday 04 May 2012, 00:13
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 03 May 2012, 23:51
This is either utterly mesmeric music, or a total bore. The question is: which?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaXXjHG9v0

The latter. Always.

Have you listened to the Youtube excerpt?

Delicious Manager

Quote from: Alan Howe on Friday 04 May 2012, 07:54
Quote from: Delicious Manager on Friday 04 May 2012, 00:13
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 03 May 2012, 23:51
This is either utterly mesmeric music, or a total bore. The question is: which?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaXXjHG9v0

The latter. Always.

Have you listened to the Youtube excerpt?

Oh yes, I've heard it. I make a point never to pontificate on music I haven't heard; that would just be hypocritical. I listened to the 9th Symphony (or as much as I could bear) to make sure that a corner hadn't been turned and some interesting music might have been composed. It hadn't.

petershott@btinternet.com

Hum, maybe my perspective on this is that I don't wish music to either mesmerise or bore me. I want it to fully engage the brain. So a doubly secure reason, as it were, not to dally with Glass. I don't want to eventually go into the gaga-house thinking that some of the hours I've spent in the company of Glass could have been devoted to more rewarding composers (and there are many and many of them).

Alan Howe

I'm not thinking of spending hours on or with Glass' music - just a fraction of that with the best of him. And I rather like what I've heard of No.9 so far - some marvellously exciting rhythmic invention and a kaleidoscope of changing orchestration, with especially fetching deep woodwind and brass. So, I'll be getting hold of No.9 and leaving it at that - rather as I have with John Adams' Harmonielehre and Fast Ride...