Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective(10 CD) [Box set]

Philip Glass (Artist), Alexander Blachly (Performer), Bruce Rogers (Performer), Eric Owens (Performer), Gregory Purnhagen (Performer), Jeff Kensmoe (Performer), John Kuether (Performer), Nathaniel Watson (Performer), Peter Stewart (Performer), Robert McFarland (Performer), Tero Hannula (Performer), Zheng Zhou (Performer), Albert De Ruiter (Performer), Barbara Wilson (Performer), Cornelius Hauptmann (Performer), Scott Reeve (Performer), Charles McCracken (Performer), Ethan Bauch (Performer), Lauren Goldstein (Performer), Michael R. Finn (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alexander Blachly, Bruce Rogers, Eric Owens, Gregory Purnhagen, Jeff Kensmoe, et al.
• Audio CD (September 30, 2008)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 10
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B001D84RMA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,241 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Improvisation
  • #32 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Languages > English
  • #32 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Incidental Music

Track Listings

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Editorial Reviews

This elegantly packaged 10 disc retrospective surveys four decades of work by Philip Glass, from his earliest solo pieces to his world-renowned operas to his Oscar-nominated film scores. In music, words and pictures, it traces the evolution, as critic Tim Page puts it in his liner notes essay, of 'the first composer to win a wide, multi-generational audience in the opera house, the concert hall, the dance world, in film and in popular music-simultaneously.' The long-awaited release of this set follows this past spring's triumphal new staging of Glass's 1980 Satyagraha at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good sampler, but most works are incomplete, July 18, 2009

By 

Rich L "Frequent Reader" (Hillsborough, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective(10 CD) (Audio CD)

If you love that Philip Glass sound, this is a good set for you. However, the longer works are only excerpted, which is frustrating. Most of the titles are "From xyz" rather than the complete "xyz." For example, I was just getting into the whole mood of Koyanisquattsi, and then after a few tracks it was all over. Probably a better set to have in your car (where you know you'll be distracted) than in your living room.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Details, February 24, 2010

By 

Andy "Andy" (Bronx, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective(10 CD) (Audio CD)

There's more than enough Glass here for most folks. The cube package itself is an intriguing piece, with Philip Glass' image by Chuck Close, Francesco Clemente, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe and Robert Wilson. Each of the 10 discs inside are individually packaged in digipaks with cover artworks selected by Chuck Close. Also inside is a 192-page booklet with liner notes, photos, performance credits and librettos. There's also appreciations by other famous humans.

The box package can be appreciated too - it's by Peter Buchanan-Smith & Josef Reyes, who write, "Our design for the "Glass Box" utilizes the box form as a primary motif that is deployed consistently, repetitively and obsessively throughout the entire package, in effect paralleling the composer's own distinctive aesthetic."

Eh, ok. I do know that it feels good to hold and touch.

Philip Glass has produced over 50 albums of music. It's true that many of the musical selections in Glass Box are portions of longer works. The PhilipGlass website provides details of each track on Glass Box and one can use that as a guage against your preference. For instance, "Music In 12 Parts" gives us Parts 7,8,9 and 10 -- 70 minutes of music. From "Einstein on the Beach" we have some or all from 9 of the opera's 14 tracks -- 75 minutes of music. Some of the performances are live instead of the studio-engineered versions on the original release.

I can appreciate the difficulty of designing this 10 disc survey.

I remember an electric moment at the movies when a 'coming attractions' trailor stunned the entire audience. It lasted only a minute but it was Koyaanisquatsi. The flowing hot visuals and the vibrating Philip Glass score melded together, washed over us. We were dumbfounded. And when it ended the crowded audience stood and clapped and cheered, and I did too.

Disc 1 - Early Works
Disc 2 - Music in 12 Parts
Disc 3 - Einstein on the Beach
Disc 4 - Glassworks & Analog
Disc 5 - Satyagraha
Disc 6 - Koyaanisqatsi/Powaqqatsi
Disc 7 - String Quartets and Etudes
Disc 8 - the CIVIL warS/Hydrogen Jukebox/Akhnaten/Symphony No.5
Disc 9 - Symphony No. 3 and 8
Disc 10 - Movie Music [Mishima/The Secret Agent/Kundun/Anima Mundi/
. La Belle et La Bête/The Thin Blue Line/Dracula/
. Fog of War/Candyman/The Truman Show/The Hours]

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Summary, October 19, 2010

By 

J. Varner (ATL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective(10 CD) (Audio CD)

I've always enjoyed Glass, but have never had a lot of his music. This box set does an excellent job of giving you a taste of everything he has done. I really enjoy it.