Glass: Heroes Symphony; The Light
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Composer: Philip GlassConductor: Marin Alsop
Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-01-30
Music Label: Naxos American
Soundtracks:
- The Light - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
- Heroes
- Abdulmajid
- Sense Of Doubt
- Sons Of The Silent Age
- Neukoln
- V2 Schneider
Music reviews of Glass: Heroes Symphony; The Light
Music Review: Good, but not the most innovative to come from Glass
Rating: 4 Stars
I am not ashamed to say that I am a Philip Glass (b. 1936) fan and am usually quick to pick up new recordings of his works. When Glass is at his most inventive, his music has an irresistible momentum and is highly inventive, defying expectations given the limited amount of harmonic and melodic material employed. With that said, I think the two pieces contained on the present release, while good, are not among Glass' most interesting works.
The Light is a 24-minute orchestral work dating from 1987, supposedly influenced by a scientific experiment supporting that the speed of light is uniform. Overall, the piece is far more interesting than the physics theories on which it is based, but the limited musical material does not support its extended length. Glass' fingerprints are readily apparent here, with endless arpeggiations, three versus two contrasts, and (of course) the "Da daah da Da daah da" rhythmic motif with which the followers of Glass are surely familiar. So, in this regard, the previous reviewer is correct - if you own other Glass discs, you, more or less, have heard a better constructed version of this composition before.
I find Glass' Symphony No. 4, dating from 1996, to be a bit more intriguing. The symphony is known as the "Heroes Symphony" as the underlying musical material was taken from David Bowie's "Heroes" album - but I suspect most "classical" listeners will be unable to differentiate this work from Glass' non-rock inspired compositions. The six movements of this work (each one named after a song on the "Heroes" album) can be viewed independently or as part of a "self-sufficient musical work" - as the program notes phrase it. For me, I think the symphony works better when each movement is viewed independently. In my opinion, there are two fantastic movements within the symphony: (1) the "Heroes" movement, which gradually builds in intensity through the fascinating incorporation of dissonances, while maintaining the joyful mood established at the outset of the movement; and (2) the "Sense of Doubt" movement (those familiar with the original album will surely recognize the ominous descending figure here) which contains several tasty melancholy harmonic twists. The other four movements hold the listeners attention through their colorful orchestration (ex: pitched percussion, castanets, etc.) and rhythmic momentum, but, in my opinion, pale in comparison to the two movements I specifically mentioned above.
If you like Glass' style you will like this release; especially the symphony. Overall, I think this release is somewhere between four and five stars. I am rounding down in this case to differentiate this disc from other recent Glass releases which I absolutely loved; namely the recording of Glass' concertos by the Orange Mountain label (Philip Glass: The Concerto Project, Vol. 1, Philip Glass: The Concerto Project, Vol. 2). Although, I admit, this is a little unfair to Glass, as I am comparing his more recent, and evolved, compositions, to his previous ones, but I think others may agree.
So, in conclusion, if you are looking for something you have not heard from Glass before, you may be somewhat disappointed with this release. But, if you have already acquired Glass' concertos and are looking to fill a gap in your Glass symphony cycle, you should acquire this disc.
Recommended.
TT: 70:09
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