Customer Reviews

Philip Glass : Les Enfants Terribles

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"Les Enfants Terribles" is the final installment in Philip Glass' "Cocteau Trilogy" of works based on works of Jean Cocteau. The other two are "La Belle et la Bete" (Beauty and the Beast) which is available on a Criterion Collection DVD with Glass' score on a separate soundtrack, and "Orphee".

This work was written in the mid-'90's and is scored for three pianos and singers. It spans two CD's and is approximately 100 minutes long. The singing parts (in French) are beautifully written and there isn't an overabundance of it which could become tiring.

This is one of Philip Glass's finest works and one that he is very proud of himself, as he remarked on a documentary video about Glass that I have.

Glass himself, Nelson Padgett, and Eleanor Sandresky are the pianists. They play the piece with perfection. Recording quality is very good and natural sounding, but there is a little more background hiss than I would like to hear, as it appears that this was an analog recording. This recording was done in 1997 and has been finally released.

This work will take you away into another world. You will not want to stop listening to it. The piano writing is beautiful, controlled, detailed, and powerful. Mr. Glass is truly a genius. Don't take my word for it- try this CD for yourself!

Thanks to Philip Glass and his record company Orange Mountain Music for this wonderful release which I will enjoy forever!

Listening to this stunning recording of Philip Glass' chamber opera 'Les Infants Terribles' is not only a wholly satisfying musical and dramatic experience, it makes one long to see the opera in performance. This is the third work in the Jean Cocteau triptych ('La Belle et la Bete', 'Orphee', 'Les Infants Terribles') and if ever there was a perfect match between author/concept and music, this is it. Those familiar with the Cocteau films will remember the bizarre, surreal symbolism he managed to make visual and it is that same surreal atmosphere that Glass captures in this final work.

Scored for three pianos, four singers/speakers, and eight dancers, this opera has some of Glass' finest writing. The 'orchestra' of pianos (brilliantly played here by Philip Glass, Nelson Padgett and Eleanor Sandresky) is just the right counterpart for the small cast who recreate the strange tale of Paul and Lise, the characters who dwell in a world so imagined that the real world is far outside of their 'game'. Singers Christine Arand, soprano, Philip Cutlip, bass-baritone, Hal Cazalet, tenor and Valerie Komar, mezzo soprano both speak and sing, the spoken word is in English and serves as a Greek Chorus and the singing is in French: they are superb. Apparently in performance the dancers interact with the singers to create an action tableaux, but that of course is left to the imagination in a recording.

The fault some find with Glass' music is one of becoming tired because of the minimalist repetition of the music. That fault is simply not an issue in this brilliant piece; every note, every word both sung and spoken is so terse and correct with the beauty of the piano orchestra that the 100 minute opera seems to speed by. This is a brilliant little work. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

I had my doubts about buying this CD, I had to make a choice between Orion and Les Enfants Terribles. Finally I settled for this recording.

It's truly amazing how Philip Glass can create such incredible works in between his more mediocre compositions.
Although it might sound lame, 3 pianos and 4 voices, the opera is just as complete and compelling as any of his previous great works (Akhnaten or Satyagraha). It is easier to listen and much more creative.

The piano composition is just SUPERB, with delicious themes and incredible coherence of music and voices. It is NEVER boring and always new. This is not your typical minimalistic stuff.

I really can't understand the story correctly, even with the booklet. Problably I should get the movie, it should explain a lot of things. Yet, this is a opera that you will treasure and will like to hear over and over again.

One of Philip Glass's best CDs. Get it ! You won't regret it !

Quite possibly one of Glass's finest theater works ever. A near perfect blend of text and music-- the almost symphonic sounds he manages to achieve with just 3 pianos is mind boggling. This piece must have been thrilling to experience live; but this recording does it more than justice. (Side note: there is a piano suite of this available on "Music 4 Hands"-- a pale and sadly, almost amateur rendering of this music.)

I've seen this piece three times and suffice it to say, walked away equally impressed every time. Philip Glass is no doubt a talented composer, but as is all too obvious, writes a great many compositions in which he phones in his efforts. This work is different and belongs in any serious music collection. Scored for piano only, the music soars above the ordinary to explore musical textures and rhythms in a changing and sonorous fashion. Story and sound fuse together and on whole, delight the listener in a work of art that is both entertaining and revelatory.

I LOVE this recording. It's very Romantic, revealing an aspect of Glass' music that is often overlooked. One of his finest works. And you must hear the 4 hand version with Dennis Russell Davies, just as superb!