Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec' [Import]

Philip Glass (Artist, Composer), Dennis Russell Davies (Conductor, Performer), Bruckner Orchester Linz (Orchestra), Linz Opera Chorus (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dennis Russell Davies
• Orchestra: Bruckner Orchester Linz, Linz Opera Chorus
• Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies
• Composer: Philip Glass
• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Orange Mountain Music
• ASIN: B002SZIB60
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,848 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two-parts 'Toltec', one-part 'Qatsi', November 15, 2009

By 

Douglas Burkett (Central FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec' (Audio CD)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and powerful, December 9, 2009

By 

William J. Coburn (Basking Ridge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec' (Audio CD)

This is one of the best examples of Glass's growing flair for orchestration. The musical ideas are very strong. It was the last movement that most impressed me. The use of pauses in the last movement is very effective, especially when the large chorus is added later. Glass uses the ability of a large group of singers to dominate a piece. They become increasingly louder, and reach several powerful climaxes where they are roaring, and suddenly in each case comes a pause. The effect is stunning.
I sang with a choral group for several years, David Randolph's Masterwork Chorus. I became aware of how dramatic choral music can be. I am impressed by what Glass has achieved.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely disappointing, February 11, 2010

By 

M. A. D. Winkler (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Glass: Symphony No.7 'Toltec' (Audio CD)

I've cherished Philip Glass' music for a long time now (about 14 years). I almost have all of his discs and/or get borrowed copies of the newest ones (released mainly in the OMM catalogue).

The two newest (to date) releases seem extremely uninspired music: nothing new, nothing great, nothing moving, even auto-plagirized.
Symphony No. 7 "Toltec" has nothing to do with the Mesoamerican civilization except for the name, and the third movement is completely copied (except for orchestration) from Powaqqatsi.
Madrigal Opera is the second OMM release I refer too, which is completely uninventive and extremely boring.

Lost are the days of good Glass music recording. I just wish "Galileo Galilei", "Appomattox", "The Making of the Representative for Planet 8", "The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five" were in the OMM music list of future releases.

Fortunately for us, Mr. Glass is still doing some very strong composing (Symphony No. 8 is a good example), it's just that the recent available discs are too weak an offer.