Philip Glass Ensemble play Glassworks
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- What you'll hear
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Ground-breaking. Hypnotic. Minimalist heaven.
Who’s on stage
The legendary Philip Glass Ensemble, founded by the composer himself in 1968 to workshop and perform his music.
What they’re playing
Grab a seat, or cosy up on a bean bag and listen to all six movements of Glassworks, a modern masterpiece purposefully designed by Philip Glass to showcase his music to a wider audience. If you know the album, you’ll want to hear it live. If you don’t but you’re curious, it’s a great place to start. The second half features sections from three of his operas: Satyagraha, Akhnaten and The Photographer.
Need to know
Price: £21 – £49
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, a group of 10 or more people.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
What you'll hear
Philip Glass Glassworks(40′)
Philip Glass Rescue from Satyagraha (7′)
Philip Glass Funeral from Akhnaten (9′)
Philip Glass Photographer, Act III (19′)
Who's playing it
Philip Glass Ensemble
A standing floor with a little bit more...
Our standing floor offers a unique way to watch the ensemble. Stand up and sway with the music, or cosy up on one of our bean bags and soak it all in. Get yourself into Sage One quick if you fancy a bean bag experience, as numbers are limited.
What's happening in the music?
Despite being the big name of the 20th century experimental music genre we call ‘minimalism’, Philip Glass actually doesn’t like the word. Instead, he describes himself as a composer of “music with repetitive structures.” And listening to the setlist for this concert, we can see his point. This music has all the colour, texture and vibrancy of a Beethoven sonata or a Mozart symphony, it’s just built in a different way. It’s not sparse, or cold, or understated, at all.
Glassworks (1981) was Glass’ first big public success, released as an album to introduce his music to a wider audience than opera or concert halls. In the forty years since, it’s become an iconic modern masterpiece for woodwind and keyboard. Short but beautiful melodic fragments are repeated, twisted, woven together into a hypnotising 40 minute musical journey you’ll never forget.
Michael Riesman, the ensemble’s Musical Director, spoke with us from New York to share how the ensemble has evolved and why he’s looking forward to returning to the region.
Read hereTake a listen
In his own words...
‘Glassworks was my debut record on CBS. This music was written for the recording studio, though a number of the pieces soon found their way into the Ensemble repertory. A six-“movement” work, Glassworks was intended to introduce my music to a more general audience than had been familiar with it up to then.’ — Philip Glass
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