Customer Reviews

Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective(10 CD)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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]

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.

Interesting and satisfying selection of this greatest classical composer. Purchase recommended for all those who want to get closer to this special kind of music.