Glassworks

Frederick Zlotkin (Performer), John Abramowitz (Performer), Seymour Barab (Performer), Jack Kripl (Performer), Philip Glass (Composer), Michael Riesman (Conductor, Performer), Larry Wechsler (Performer), Sharon Moe (Performer), Philip Glass (Performer), Jon Gibson (Performer), Richard Peck (Performer), Linda Moss (Performer), Lois Martin (Performer), Maureen Gallagher (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Frederick Zlotkin, John Abramowitz, Seymour Barab, Jack Kripl, Michael Riesman, et al.
• Conductor: Michael Riesman
• Composer: Philip Glass
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025MW
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #74,440 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #11 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Glass, Philip
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Glassworks remains Philip Glass's bestseller from the middle period of his career, the recording by means of which many listeners familiarized themselves with his music. Conceived as a thematically whole instrumental studio album taking advantage of the promotional and marketing capabilities of what was then Glass's new major label (CBS, now Sony Classical) and targeted at consumers intrigued with his newfound notoriety, Glassworks features six parts (three per side on the original LP and cassette), alternately meditative and frenetic, that have since broken free and developed lives of their own.

The most frequently rearranged and recorded part, "Facades," is an outtake from the score to Godfrey Reggio's film Koyaanisqatsi, which before editing had spent more time panning across the flat modernist surfaces of New York City skyscrapers, imparting a sense of alienation and despondency. Glass frequently performs the first part, "Opening," in solo piano recitals. When his ensemble performs the second part, "Floe," in concert, he adds a female voice where, in the recording, the horns perform the Sibelian accompaniment of stately rising and falling crotchets. Throughout, Glass popularizes his earlier idiom of relative rhythmic and harmonic stasis by enriching the instrumentation as well as modulating quickly and even--as in the case of "Rubric"--at a vertiginous pace.

This album was one of the first by a contemporary composer to be recorded digitally, and it has held up remarkably well since 1982 despite the slight harshness and hiss. (CBS remixed the cassette version to satisfy users of portable stereos--back then a fairly new technology.) Fans of Glass will have added this title to their collections long ago, but if you're new to the composer's tonal, reiterative music, Glassworks is still as good a place to start as any. --Robert Burns Neveldine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WELCOME TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE, January 9, 2002

By	The philosopher (Mass.) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glass for everyone !, June 20, 2000

By	José Eduardo (Curitiba, Brazil) - See all my reviews

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").

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

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.