Composer Philip Glass broke new ground with his 1982 work "Glassworks". Besides being his debut for Sony Music (then CBS Records), "Glassworks" also became one of his best known compositions and is still his overall best-selling recording.
There is a variety of mood and texture heard throughout "Glassworks" six movements. "Opening" is a pure solo piano piece which segues effortlessly into the second part "Floe" performed by Philip Glass's ensemble consisting of various keyboards, woodwinds and horns. Both "Floe" and "Rubric" (the fourth movement) are chock full of Glass's trademark fast-paced arppegiated rhythms, dense harmonics and consistently shifting time signatures. The third and fifth parts ("Island" and "Facades" respectively) feature beautifully scored string sections aided by woodwinds along with slow repeated phrases. The "Closing" movement is simply a reprise of the opening except that it is scored for ensemble as opposed to solo piano.
The remastered edition of "Glassworks" features superb sound quality and adds a renewed freshness to the original recording. There are also five bonus "Dance" pieces from Glass's 1986 work "In The Upper Room". These Dances also feature the composer's trademarks as well as great orchestration (especially "Dance IX" which features triumphant themes and variations).
Overall, if you are familiar with the music of Philip Glass, you'll know exactly what to expect with this CD. For those unfamiliar and looking for a place to start, "Glassworks" is an essential introduction.
Definitely Classic Minimalist Music at its Finest!! Louie bourland
There is a variety of mood and texture heard throughout "Glassworks" six movements. "Opening" is a pure solo piano piece which segues effortlessly into the second part "Floe" performed by Philip Glass's ensemble consisting of various keyboards, woodwinds and horns. Both "Floe" and "Rubric" (the fourth movement) are chock full of Glass's trademark fast-paced arppegiated rhythms, dense harmonics and consistently shifting time signatures. The third and fifth parts ("Island" and "Facades" respectively) feature beautifully scored string sections aided by woodwinds along with slow repeated phrases. The "Closing" movement is simply a reprise of the opening except that it is scored for ensemble as opposed to solo piano.
The remastered edition of "Glassworks" features superb sound quality and adds a renewed freshness to the original recording. There are also five bonus "Dance" pieces from Glass's 1986 work "In The Upper Room". These Dances also feature the composer's trademarks as well as great orchestration (especially "Dance IX" which features triumphant themes and variations).
Overall, if you are familiar with the music of Philip Glass, you'll know exactly what to expect with this CD. For those unfamiliar and looking for a place to start, "Glassworks" is an essential introduction.
Definitely Classic Minimalist Music at its Finest!! Louie bourland
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