Ryan Smith - Philip Glass

Philip Glass was my favorite band for the most number of years that I picked a favorite band.

When I was young, I did not particularly care for the music the radios played. They tended to play ‘Top 20’ or ‘Top 10’, so I would hear the same song, over and over and over and over. I would go to the record store and purchase random movie soundtracks. Then if a song on that album was good, I’d start buying albums from that band.

One day, when I was purchasing one of those random albums, I purchased the official music of the 1984 Olympics. (Or maybe 1980), it has 2 repeatable tunes. One was a Philip Glass song (the Olympian) it was so good, I bought a Philip Glass album, but also I bought a keyboard, and the sheet music for that same song. I even took piano playing classes to learn how to play that song. While today I can do an interesting rendition of the Olympian on the keyboard, I would not say that I’m a great keyboard player.

In any case Philip Glass became my favorite band.

Here’sa few things to note about Philip Glass

• He was born in 1937 so today he quite old, but still producing albums, and I’m still buying them.
• For awhile, Philip Glass has an ensamble (a small band)
• Philip Glass is known as a composer - so he is commissioned to write music for others.
• While he does have one rock album, he is not known in the rock music circles. These were collaboration songs with people like Suzanne Vega, and Paul Simon and a few other 80’s timeframe singers
• In the early days, the critics would say his work was minimal or minimalistic. I think this was kind of an insult.
• Some of his work is minimalistic, some very repetitive.
• I was buying his work in the early days because i was looking for alternative music, and his was. But not in a bad way.
• There are several operas - of you hate opera like I do, then some of these would convert you to an opera lover.
• There are several symphonies - they start becoming great around symphony 5 and after.
• Around symphony 7 he brought in the Lintz Orchastra, a collection of over 100 musicians. You would think that would shake off his minimalist reputation, but there is always a critic out there who uses that term. I found a lot of noise, and several very powerful tunes.
• There are many movie sound tracks.
• Because Philip Glass is a composer, there are many musicians playing his music.
• If you decided to buy and collect Philip Glass albums you would find a lot of duplicate songs. For scale there’s an version of one of his songs on steel drums, same song performed with a saxophone, another with cello, and another, actually several with piano. And you would find numerous duplication of songs. But at least they sound different due to artists and instruments.
• For the most part my wife doesn’t care for Phillips repetition. Which kind of excluded about half of his albums.
• There’s one album - music on 12 parts. It’s at least 4 hours long, very repetitive - 1 song.
• One opera - Einstein at the beach - originally performed as a 16 hour opera (the secret is its the same opera performed 4 times), repetitive but good. At first I didn’t care that much for it. And then one insomniac day, it was the greatest music I ever heard. At least it was perfect for the mood.
• One soundtrack - Koyannatsi - was ok, then i was driving through Nevada, my eyes starring to glaze over and I put this album on and that was so good. Hit my mood perfectly. Actually, I bought the sheet music for Koyanatsi and am learning to play it somewhat well.
• One opera - les infants terribalas - great great great. And powerful.
• Another opera - the barbarians at the gate - pushes a mood best decribed as fret.
• I once attended a filming of koyanatsi and Philip was being interviewed, and he said something to the effect ‘If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it’. My guess is there are a lot of critics out there. But for me I would say, ‘If you don’t like it, you’re probably not in the right mood.’

My album collection

• Filmworks
• 1971 - Music in 12 parts - 3 cd’s - 1 song in 12 parts - repetitive.
• 1974 - Einstein on the Beach - Opera played in denmark. 4 cd’s - repetitive - hypnotic - wonderful but lots of hmm.
• 1977 - North Star
• 1982 - Koyaanisqatsi - Soundtrack to a movie that is a collection of videos. Wonderful. (Great 70’s feel)
• 1982 - Glassworks - Great
• 1983 - Koyaanisqatsi - a different version of the soundtrack.
• 1983 - Photographer - great
• 1984 - Akhnaten - Opera Great
• 1985 - Mishima - This is a sountrack - great.
• 1985 - Satyagraha - Opera - Great
• 1986 - Songs from Liquid Days - This was Philip Glass’s entry into rock and roll. He parter’d with a number of popular musicians.
• 1987 - Dancepieces - I think this was music commissioned to a dance house.
• 1987 - Powaqqatsi - sound track - of a movie was produced by the same people who made Koyaanisqatsi.
• 1988 - The Thin Blue Line Soundtrack - a soundtrack to a documentary about a potentially innocent guy sentenced to life in prison.
• 1988 - Dance Nos 1-5 - I think this is a republication/rerecording of dancepices.
• 1988 - Music from the thin blue line - Soundtrack - Another album based on a movie.
• 1989 - 1000 Airplaines on the Roof - Wonderful
• 1989 - Solo Piano - Philip Glass performing some of his hits on the piano.
• 1990 - Hydrogen Jokebox - Great
• 1990 - Passages - a collaboration with Ravi Shankar - great
• 1992 - The Screens - a collaboration with Foday Musa Suso - good
• 1993 - Concertos - an album containing music by Philip Glass and Albert? Schnittke - ok
• 1993 - Low Symphony - a Symphony based on music by David Bowie.
• 1993 - Theater Music - Volume 1
• 1993 - Glass Organ Works
• 1993 - Anima Mundi - Great!
• 1993 - Itaipu - Great!
• 1994 - Two Pages, Contrary Motion, Music in Fifths, Music in Similar Motion - Repetative
• 1995 - Kronos Quartet performs Philip Glass
• 1995 - La Belle et la Bete (The Beauty and the Beast) - This was an Opera that replaces the sountrack of an old Beauty and the Beast - GREAT - Amongst his best.
• 1996 - Heros Symphony
• 1996 - Les Enfants Terribles - This is a sound track that was supposed to replace a movie produced by the same person who produced the original Beauty and the Beast movie. Instead performed by dancers - GREAT - Amongst his best.
• 1996 - The Secret Agent - Soundtrack
• 1997 - Kindun - Soundtrack
• 1998 - Symphony No 2
• 1999 - Dracula - This was a soundtrack that replaces the soundtrack of an old dracula movie. OK
• 1999 - The Civil Wars - performed by Carter Morgan State University Choir
• 1999 - Uakti - Aguas De Amazonia - Great
• 1999 - Violin Concerto, Comapny, Akhanten, Prelude and Dance
• 2000 - Crouch End Festival Chorus - National Sinfonia - Glass - Songs from Liquid Days
• 2000 - Symphony No 3
• 2000 - Violin Concerto - collection of some of his music performed by a violin.
• 2000 - Music for Piano by Philip Glass and John Cage
• 2000 - Koyaanisqatsi
• 2000 - Symphony No 5
• 2001 - Music in the shape of a square
• 2001 - Music of Candyman - soundtrack. (lot of the music performed on a player piano)
• 2001 - Philip on Film
• 2001 - Rovert Wilson - The Civil Wars - opera
• 2002 - A descent into the Maelstrom
• 2002 - Early Voice
• 2002 - Naqoyqatsi - part 3 produced by the same people who made Koyaanisqatsi. I’m not sure if this was a film. Produced by Kronos Quartet.
• 2002 - Philip Glass - Etudes for Piano no 1-10.
• 2002 - A Descent into the Maelstrom
• 2002 - Salonen
• 2002 - Saxophone
• 2002 - Hours - Soundtrack
• 2003 - Music from the thin blue line - a re-release of a soundtrack?
• 2003 - The Orphee Suite - This a #3 of a trilogy.
• 2003 - The Fog of War - sound track for a documentary.
• 2004 - Concerto Project Vol 1
• 2004 - Music 4 Hands -
• 2004 - Bang on a Can
• 2004 - Symphonies Nos 2 and 3
• 2004 - Undertow - soundtrack
• 2005 - Neverwas
• 2005 - Glass Cuts
• 2005 - Les Enfants Terribles - Children of the Game - Opera - amongst his best.
• 2005 - Orion
• 2005 - Symphony No 6 - Plutonian Ode - Great!
• 2006 - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Hero’s Symphony. I think this is another symphony based on the music of David Bowie.
• 2006 - Heroes Symphony - the Light
• 2006 - Roving Mars - soundtrack.
• 2006 - Symphony No 8
• 2006 - The Illusionist - soundtrack
• 2006 - The Voyage. An opera in three acts.
• 2007 - Cassandra’s Dream.
• 2007 - From the Philip Glass Recording Archive - Volume 2 Orchestral Music
• 2007 - Monsters of Grace
• 2007 - No Reservations - soundtrack
• 2007 - Book of Longing
• 2007 - Songs and Poems for Solo Cello - Wendy Sutter
• 2007 - Theater Music - Volume 1
• 2007 - Volume 2 - Orchestral Music
• 2008 - From the Philip Glass Recording Archive - Volume 3 - Film Scores
• 2008 - From the Philip Glass Recording Archive - Volume 4 - Film Scores
• 2008 - Philip Glass Soundtracks (Michael Reisman)
• 2008 - Music in 12 parts - a re-recording.
• 2008 - Concerto Project Vol 3
• 2008 - Waiting for the Barbarians - Opera
• 2009 - Koyaanisqatsi - a new recording based on the music of the film.
• 2009 - Symphony 7 - Toltec
• 2009 - In the Upper Room
• 2009 - The Juniper Tree
• 2010 - A Madrigal Opera - a stereotypical opera.
• 2010 - Kepler - opera
• 2010 - NUY Steel plays Philip Glass
• 2010 - Orphee
• 2010 - Philip Glass Sampler
• 2010 - Philip Glass Chamber Players - Schoenberg and Glass
• 2011 - In the Penal Colony - Opera
• 2012 - Symphony No 9
• 2013 - Concert of the Sixth Sun
• 2013 - In the Shadow of No towers
• 2013 - Visitors - Soundtrack
• 2014 - Voices for Didgeridoo and Organ
• 2014 - Valentina Lisita - Plays Philip Glass
• 2015 - A brief history of time - soundtrack
• 2015 - Fantastic Four
• 2015 - Beauty and the Beast - great - amongst his best.
• 2015 - Symphony No 10
• 2015 - New Seasons - Violin Concerto No 2 - The American Four Seasons
• 2016 - Nicholas Horvath - Glassworlds 3
• 2016 - Glassworlds 4
• 2017 - Jane - Soundtrack
• 2017 - The Trial - opera
• 2017 - The fall of the house of Usher
• 2018 - Symphony No 11
• 2019 - Brooklyn Rider - Annunciation
• 2019 - King Lear - Opera
• 2019 - Symphony No 5 - Wachner
• 2021 - Satyagraha - opera - new recording
• 2023 - Symphony no 13 - Truth in our time