Philip Glass

[Dewi Sant]

Don't we just all love Philip Glass?
The genius of his composition.
Since I saw the film "The Hours" I have been hooked on Glass.
I would love to meet the guy.

I love
The Hours
Naqoyqatsi (a movie soundtrack)
Koyaanisquatski
A descent into the Maelstrom (I found this stunning)
And there are other pieces and works I love.


But do you love minimalism?
Do you find Glass excellent or just plain annoying? Or even dull?

I want to post a poll with this tread but if one isn't available just say whether you like the music or not?
Remember, Bach wasn't popular when he lived, 500 years on and he is probably the greatest composer of all time.

 

[Dewi Sant]

Where has everyone gone? Is the name "Philip Glass" that scary?
It reminds me of an episode of the simposons when they build a concert hall, the orchestra starts with the first four notes of Beethovens 5th and the corwd start leaving "they heard the best bit" , then Marge announced that the next pieces were going to be Philip Glass and the hall was abandoned

 

[DailyBlessings]

Did you ever hear the one about Philip Glass?

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Did you ever hear the one about Philip Glass?

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Did you ever hear the one about Philip Glass?

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Did you ever...

 

[Dewi Sant]

I didn't think it would take long for a minimalist joke to come


His music is an art of subtlety, however there are some pieces such as "Something she has to do" from "The Hours" and "Religion" from "Naqoyqatsi" which are quite thrilling.
Still to compare Glass to someone like Beethoven is to compare Louis Armstrong to Vivaldi.

 

[MusicalProgrammer]

Way too New Age for me... (in fact, most of the minimalists are)

The orchestra at my college performed the regional premiere of his Fifth Symphony a couple of years ago, with Glass in attendance.

A lot of minimalism is either derived from trance music or emulates chanting/mantra. The Fifth Symphony in fact is pure propoganda for the New Age movement: it mashes together all manner of "spiritual" texts, mixing scripture in with things such as the Qu'ran, the Rig Veda, and the Popul Vuh. I'm not trying in any way to dissuade you from liking it, but I personally take a step back from it.

That having been said, I do like some of Steve Reich and John Adams' stuff.

 

[Vulgivagus hagiographus]

I had my first introduction to minimalism at this artsy camp thing I went to this summer. We listened to some Philip Glass and even played “In C” by Terry Riley. (That was interesting. That’s also probably the worst song to get stuck in your head. You feel like your brain is going to explode.) I never would have thought I would enjoy something like that, but it’s so weird that it’s kind of fun. I think my answer would be that I like him in small portions.

It was funny because after my camp I was trying to explain that song from Einstein on the Beach that’s just counting to my un-artsy friends, but they just looked at me like I had two heads or something. It’s a really cool song! It sounds like it’s getting faster, but it isn’t! Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s the one that goes,

“One two three four, one two three four, one two three four, one two three four,

One two three, one two three, one two three, one two three,

One two, one two, one two, one two,

One, one, one, one…”

It’s really nifty sounding!

 

[Lake]

my great dane likes him.does that help any? puts her to sleep..

 

[Dewi Sant]

My composing is going mad. Although I haven't listened to glass for a long time now whenever I compose it sounds like Glass wrote it. With a repetitive melody with screaming extreme counter melodies every so often.

I am sure we can adapt Glass' style of music for a Christian audience.

 

[stonetoflesh]

Glass is ok, but I've always found him to be really overrated in relation to other (IMHO superior) minimalists-- especially Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young.

 

[The Theory]

Yeah, I really liked Glass until I heard Steve Reich. Now he's just decent.

I've never heard of Terry Riley or La Monte Young. I'm always searching for new artists of the sort, so I'll have to check them out.

But I love, love, love Philip Glass jokes...

 

[DeSilentio]

I love
The Hours
Naqoyqatsi (a movie soundtrack)
Koyaanisquatski
A descent into the Maelstrom (I found this stunning)
And there are other pieces and works I love.

one other movie soundtrack he did that i really like (both the movie and the soundtrack) is "mishima: a life in four chapters" about japanese novelist yukio mishima. really good film.

anyway, i find a lot of glass' earlier sort of arch-minimalist work fairly dull. but generally, i'm a fan. though i would probably rank him behind john adams, steve reich and terry riley as comparable contemporaries. and arvo part is my favorite "minimalist" composer, if that's how you're wanting to classify him.

 

[talitha]

I actually met Philp Glass when I was in college. He was a grad-school chum of my dean's. Very down-to-earth guy, actually. And I loved the concert.

Yes, I think the music could be adapted for a Christian audience. More suited to Charismatic or Catholic churches. The two may not seem compatible, but think about the contemplative tradition of Catholicism (Henri Nouwen, among many others) and the Prophetic stream of the Charismatic church.......

hmmm.... where's Father Rick?

blessings
tal

 

[Stacey]

I really do like the minimalistic period... it's simple but catching at the same time.

 

[HawaiianTropicalDude]

einstein on the beach is just too long,I know who he is-I can bear him but not a favorite or would I go see his operas unless I brought a pillow

 

[Multi-Elis]

I like Philip Glass' music, but I really have to be in the mood for it. Besides ever since discovering Reich...

I listen a lot to minimalist music, but mostly the non-american, not as repetitave composers like Arvo Part and John Taverner. The units that are repeated are much longer and are more inspired by Georgian chant and eastern orthodox music. So the result is minimalist music, not very up-beat, and amazing chord combinations. For these composers I am much more often in the mood to listen to them...

 

[Moros]

Minimalism is interesting, but I can't get into it.