11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WELCOME TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE, January 9, 2002
This review is from: Glassworks (Audio CD)
As a quick glance at the customer reviews for this album reveals, "Glassworks" tends to evoke strong feelings, pro or con, from everyone. I think that this album is superb, but my wife hates it. She thinks that it is too repetitive. I agree that each song is repetitive at the macro-level, but I think that the aural patterns are so complex and evocative that complaining about their repetition is like complaining about the repeating motifs in a fine Turkish rug or in a crystal viewed with a microscope.
Glass's music on this album is layered, with one instrument playing a simple pattern, another instrument playing a different pattern, and so on. The cummulative effect in the fast numbers with many musical lines (as in "Floe") can be overwhelming, and part of the interest of listening to the music is trying to make out what each of the individual lines is and how it contributes to the overall effect. You also start to notice that each line changes subtly, causing the song's pattern to shift in interesting ways. The music is not as repetitive as it first appears to be.
The title "Glassworks" is doubly suggestive, not only because his name is "Glass" but also because each song is a lot like an elegant glass sculpture. Some of the songs are as smooth and cool as a perfectly polished crystal ball. Others are as angular and dizzying as if a complex tile mosaic had been etched in glass. It is very easy to unknowingly look through these statues (they are glass, after all) and miss their almost mathematical beauty.
For someone who does not own any Glass CDs, this is a good place to start. It is more accessible than some of his other work. Listen to some of the samples. You'll be able to tell quickly whether this is an album you might enjoy.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glass for everyone !, June 20, 2000
This review is from: Glassworks (Audio CD)
You don't know any of P.G. works, and want to change this ? You want to listen to some Minimalist music ? You want to have a cd for all ocasions ? If any of your answers were , YES: BUY THIS ALBUM. Otherwise, buy it anyway ! You won't regret yourself ! Divided in 6 parts, it doesn't matter if the work has any programatic meaning.....It is Pure Music ! This is not Heavy Minimalismus (try his "Music With Changing Parts" for that), instead a colection of some very melodic themes, almost mathematicaly arranged together. And like the Phoenix raising from the ashes, the last part (Closing), is an invitation to start it all over again ! (it has the same "Leitmotif" from the first part, "Opening").
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Close your eyes, Enjoy!, December 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Glassworks (Audio CD)
You must be in a room by yourself. Maybe it should be dark, too. This album, though minimalist, has the power to take your mind on a journey. Intellect is irrelevant. Don't concern yourself with the idea of repeated arpeggios. Let the kaleidescope of sounds vibrate inside you-like the pulse of your blood. It's mystical, it's beautiful. It moves.
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