Customer Reviews

Glass: Violin concerto

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the perfect CD for people who are curious about Glass but don't want to spend $20 on a CD they may wind up hating. For $6.99 this is a killer deal. Bear in mind that many of the people who have given this CD a poor review are already familiar with Glass' work. We'll assume that the reader is not. These pieces are interesting,beautifully played,and do provide an excellent introduction to Glass' work.If you've always wondered whether or not Glass is your thing, or even if you've never heard of the guy, how can you go wrong for $7? I say slap down your money and give him a chance. I've played this as often as I've played any of his symphonies and soundtracks.Go for it!

This is one of those items that I feel hasn't gotten a really on-target review. I'm not sure a CD by one composer is the place to discuss the merits of his whole genre of music. Admittedly I write from a perspective of a fan of minimalism and of Philip Glass. And for someone knowledgable of the field and of Glass's output, this CD has strong appeal.

First, the Naxos price is a bargain. They're really serving a role in making challenging, sometimes rarely heard music available to a classical audience that doesn't have to be also an elite or wealthy one. Each of their composer-centered CDs seems carefully considered in order to provide both strong performances and well-chosen material as an introduction to the entire oeuvre of that master.

In particular, this CD shows a few sides of Glass, in the lush and comfortable setting of full orchestral performances (quite different from his chamber, solo piano, self-played or even soundtrack work). The two pieces from his opera Akhnaten that close out the disc offer wonderfully evocative melodies. Once meant to be sung or performed with bright visuals and actors, these arrangements focus only on the strength of his melodies and harmonies, with a full pallette of color and emotions in what must be read as his homage to an ancient and tragically odd, lost kingdom. There's a stately spirituality in this music that well evokes pyramids, desert sand and the rays of the sun god.

"Company" consists of busy short pieces typical of Glass's 80s work, and the Violin Concerto is his first major concert-hall work, not commissioned in support of any other project or medium. It provides a memorable showcase for violinist Adele Anthony.

However, I do have some quibbles, as one often does with Naxos cds. The recording levels are low, and there's not a lot of distinction between instruments in the mix. I'm all for a more aggressive, rock-style approach to both the playing and recording of classical music, and the Naxos label is frequently too timid on this front.

I picked up this CD just out of curiousity (already having a number of other Glass works, and knowing nothing about the Violin Concerto). This was among the better (serendipitous) selections I have ever made -- the Violin Concerto has become one of my favorites by Glass! While elements of this piece are very reminiscent of other works by the composer, it has a distinct style -- oftentimes, even showing elements of classical (traditional) styles in the movement between violin and orchestra. Especially for the price, and for this Violin Concerto, I recommend this CD!

Each time I listen to this album, I enjoy it more and more. This is an excellent introduction to the music of Philip Glass, and is very affordable for nearly anyone who may be interested in hearing his music. Probably the best track on this CD is the second movement of the violin concerto; it is both sad and lyrical, filled with longing and regret. Anthony does an admirable job of interpreting this work. The sound quality is very sharp and clear. I believe that anyone with an interest in contemporary serious music will love this album. The price is unbeatable. Naxos has certainly won my heart for their continuing series of American Classics.

My first encounter with the Glass Violin Concerto was in the form of a dance piece devised by the fringe choreographer Mavin Khoo.The Glass worked brilliantly within this context but i doubted it would stand on it's own without the marriage with movement.
I was proven wrong as i've found the whole piece arresting from start to finish.Glass's trademark minor key arpeggiations sound marvellously idiomatic on the soloist and the slow movement is deeply affecting without being sickly sweet in any way.
Quite unexpectedly (I generally go for the more hard line modernist stuff)i've been won over so this Naxos CD is definitely a good place to start if you've never heard a piece of this guys music.
'Company' and the 'Dance' from Akhnaten are rather plodding by comparison with the Violin concerto but the Akhnaten prelude has a mysterious aura which immediately alerts ones attention.

I've played plenty of modern music, some of it in front of audiences in Canadian and American cities. So maybe it won't mean much when I say I kind of like the Glass violin concerto, which is indeed minimalist music. But I recommend this work, which reminds me somewhat of Sibelius.

Now, which artist is best on violin? Gidon Kremer or Adele Anthony? Obviously, this recording has Anthony on violin, and I think she does a fine job. I'd choose which recording to get depending on how much I liked the pieces that accompany the violin concerto. I think they are both good choices.

The first two movements of the Violin Concerto are excellent. I think it's the only violin concerto out there that even comes close to Mendelssohn's romantic masterpiece. The final movement to the concerto was a colossal mistake. I guess the muse has to abandon you from time to time lest you'll take her favors for granted.

The Company is okay, but it's nothing to rave about. I'd say that the disc was more than worth the price for the first two movements of the Glass Violin Concerto.

I think that Glass' Violin Concerto is his best work because of its ability to be beautiful and interesting. The first movement is wonderful and this is pure classical not like 1000 Airplanes on the Roof or one of his movie scores. If you like Violin Concertos, listen to the "I" sample but it cannot substitute for hearing the complete concerto. Company is also interesting but the work was written about death and has a similar tone to Chopin's Sonata No. 2 but with an orchestra. The works from Akhnaten are some of the most different works I have ever heard. This CD is a grand odyssey for someone who wants a different kind of classical music.

I can't add much to those who've so eloquently described the solemn sense of stark beauty that *can* be evoked by Glass's violin concerto and Anthony's virtuoso performance.

I do find it curious, however, how many of critics of the work that complain about its repetitiveness characterize it as a flaw intrinsic to the work itself, rather than describe it as something incongruent with their musical dispositions and preferences. The repetition (featuring subtle yet enticing compositional variations) is quite intentional and representative of the minimalist meditative aesthetic cultivated by Glass and others - something of a classical-contemporary form of ambient music akin to its slower yet familiar precursor: Erik Satie's Trois Gymnopédies.

I encourage those unfamiliar with Glass's work to avail themselves of this relatively inexpensive opportunity to listen to a contemporary counterpoint to (and within) the classical music tradition. (And be sure to listen to the actual concerto itself, bookended by other things).

I admit that I bought this CD because of the price, instead of more officially sanctioned Philip Glass releases. I am not sorry that I did. The selections are well recorded and performed. Akhnaten was the first CD set of Glass that I purchased, and to be honest, it was hard to get into. Difficult music has always been a draw for me, but the opera was just a bit too much. This CDs selections from that opera drew me back to the original recording, which I can now appreciate much better. This is not to say that they made me wish for a better performance, but to say that they inspired me to listen again to the score in it's entirety. That is what a CD like this is intended to do, and for that, I recommend it. Listen, and be inspired to hear more Glass work's in their entirety.