An all-Glass program performed by Philip Glass and two guest pianists featuring recent composition for solo piano and new arrangements of classic Glass works.
Mad Rush (1979)
Composed and performed by Philip Glass
Mad Rush was adapted from an earlier organ piece, Fourth Series Part 4, commissioned by Radio Bremen for the Holland Festival. Mad Rush was created as entrance music for the Dalai Lama on his 1979 visit to St. John The Devine Cathedral in New York. The Dalai Lama’s arrival time was uncertain, so Mad Rush was created as a piece that could be stretched for an indefinite period of time without the audience realizing that any delay was occurring. Mad Rush has since been adapted for solo piano.
Truman Sleeps (1998)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Jenny Lin
This piece was originally composed for music from the motion picture, The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir.
Etude No. 13 (2007) and No. 16 (2012)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Jenny Lin
There were a number of special events and commissions that facilitated the composition of the Etudes by Philip Glass. The original set of six was composed for Dennis Russell Davies on the occasion of his 50th birthday in 1994. These Etudeswere later renumbered as Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10. Etude No. 6 was commissioned in 1994 by WNYC for John Schaefer’s new music program under the original title ‘Now So Long After That Time’. Etude No. 7 was commissioned by the Sydney Festival in 1996. Etudes 12 and 13 were commissioned by Bruce Levingston in 2007 and premiered in New York at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Etude No. 17 was commissioned for the 25th Anniversary of the Menil Collection in Houston, TX, and premiered in 2012. The final three works, Etudes Nos. 18, 19 and 20, were commissioned by the Perth Festival in 2012 in honor of Glass’s 75th birthday, and premiered on 16 February 2013.
Distant Figure, Passacaglia For Piano (2017)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Anton Batagov
This piece was commissioned by Aarhus, Denmark and written for Anton Batagov. It premiered at the Musikhuset Aarhus in November of 2017.
The Poet Acts (2002)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Anton Batagov
This piece was originally composed for music from the motion picture The Hours, and later arranged in the form of a three movement piano concert by Michael Riesman.
Morning Passages (2002)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Anton Batagov
This piece was originally composed for music from the motion picture The Hours, adapted from the novel by Michael Cunningham and directed by Stephen Daldry.
Intermission
Metamorphoses 2 & 3 (1989)
Composed and performed by Philip Glass
Metamorphosis is set of piano pieces composed from 1988-1989 drawn from both Errol Morris’ film A Thin Blue Line and a staging of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, part of The Kafka Trilogy (The Process) by Gerald Thomas, first performed in São Paulo, Brazil. As both projects were undertaken at the same time, the music seemed to lend itself well to a synthesis of this kind.
Four Movements for Two Pianos (2008)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Anton Batagov & Jenny Lin
This piece was commissioned by the Klavier-Festival Ruhr, and was premiered in Essen, Germany in July of 2008.
Opening (1981)
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Philip Glass, Anton Batagov and Jenny Lin
Glassworks was originally written as a commission for CBS Records in 1981 (the first CD of mine recorded for that company). Besides work for my ensemble, it contained several unusual pieces including Opening for solo piano and Façadesfor solo soprano saxophone. Some of this music later formed the basis of Jerome Robbins’ dance piece at the New York City Ballet in 1983. Opening was the beginning of a series of music for solo piano, which I am still adding to, to this day.
