Philip Glass Symphony No.9

[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]

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:

Anyone 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]

admit to rather liking his music

[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]

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]

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

[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]

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]

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...