Philip Glass - Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec'
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CD Details
Artist: Philip GlassComposer: Philip Glass
Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies
Performer: Dennis Russell Davies
Orchestra: Bruckner Orchester Linz
Orchestra: Linz Opera Chorus
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2009-10-26
Music Label: Orange Mountain Music
Soundtracks:
- Movement I - The Corn
- Movement II - The Hikuri (Sacred Root)
- Movement III - The Blue Deer
Music reviews of Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec'
Music Review: Two-parts 'Toltec', one-part 'Qatsi'
Rating: 4 Stars
Owning about every Glass CD available and having enjoyed all of Glass' Symphonies and the wide range of musical soundscapes and subjects they cover I was of course very excited about No.7 being released.
With this No.7 we again have a wide range of mood and sound dynamics with both orchestra and the chorus between and within each of the movements. I found the direction under Davies superb and even though the liner notes state this as being a 'live' recoding the quality and mix is still very good and there is great clarity and balance throughout the orchestra. Had I not known this was a 'live' recording it would not have been as obvious as some 'live' recordings are; I did not notice the poor sound quality, poor orchestra sound balance or the obligatory coughing on this recording. For being 'live' this was a very technically sound recording but I wish somewhere in the Amazon title of the product it would have said in advance that it was such.
The first two movements are unique in that they are original compositions and that they continue to show Glass' evolution as a composer. I found these first two movements stirring and striking in their building and climaxes. While maintaining predictable (but enjoyable) Glass-like rhythm, these two movements contain a lot of interesting techniques and mixes of timbres and tonalaties. At times the orchestration and peaks of the movements are kind of a hybrid between the sound palettes of 'Itaipu' and 'Akhnaten' just to give a slight idea. The chorus is used as an instrument here as they are in 'Itaipu'. Overall a very wonderful, dynamic and very skilled two movements from Glass.
I also commend the performance of the Bruckner Orchester Linz on this CD. Not only do they do an excellent job (in my opinion) on this live recording but they are able to keep the more heavy moments of the work from getting too 'bogged down' and are able to keep these moments filled with heavy grandeur without succumbing to the weight of the music. Davies also earns praise in this aspect as well. The performance is also very clean and crisp without being too bright for the mood of the piece.
However, the Third Movement is what kept this from being a great album. The entire Third Movement of this Symphony is an extended, orchestrated version of the track 'The Unutterable' from 'Powaqqatsi'. It's not just a small part of it or just a segment of it or even a variation of it...it IS the exact same track extended and scored for orchestra. It is a wonderful piece of music both on this recording and on the original 'Powaqqatsi' soundtrack but I expected three movements of an original composition and not two amazing, original movements followed by a re-orchestration of a previously composed piece (as good as it is on its own). If you have not heard it before it will be wonderful but it was a let down and when it first started playing I honestly thought for a moment that the disc changer had started playing the 'Powaqqatsi' CD for some reason.
So, other than for Glass 'borrowing' from himself for the entire Third Movement it is a wonderful work and there is still an enjoyment of listening to the orchestrated version of 'The Unutterable', but it's still disappointing not to have three completely original pieces for this otherwise magnificant work.
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Description of Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec'
Orange Mountain Music presents the world premiere recording of Philip Glass' Symphony No.7 Toltec; conducted by Dennis Russell Davies and performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz with the Linz Opera Chorus. The 2004 symphony is a dedication to the Mesoamerican Toltec tradition. It was an advanced civilization which existed between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. Glass gives us a three-movement work representing the holy trinity of the Wirrarika: Movement One: The Corn, Movement Two: The Hikuri (Sacred Root), and Movement Three: The Blue Deer.Classical CDs
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