Philip Glass at 75

This Tuesday will mark the 75th year for Philip Glass. This venerable man is remarkable not only for his large part in starting the minimalist movement in the United States over four decades ago, but also for being for the general public a connection to the world of concert music. Many laymen who are unfamiliar with the works of classical artists are quite likely to know the name and work of Philip Glass.

It is Glass’s minimalist aesthetic which was part of the growth of the style in downtown New York in the mid-60s that gained him fame. But, Glass’s early career was quite different form what he became known for. His early studies were in flute performance at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, eventually studying with Vincent Persichetti and William Bergsma and at the Juilliard School of Music. His music of these years was more closely connected to the easier side of the modern style, similar to composers such as Copland or Barber. In the mid-60s he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger on a Fulbright Scholarship. While here he had the opportunity to work with Ravi Shankar, bringing him into contact with Indian musics, which proved to be just the kind of artistic shock to lead him into his minimalistic thinking. From here he began working with repetitive structures based on Indian musics. After arriving back in New York, Glass encountered Steve Reich who was working with similar minimalist patterns and gestures in his own work (although in a decidedly different way). After several years of working with one another, Reich and Glass parted ways over differences of opinion.

By this point, Glass had discovered his distinct musical voice and was becoming quite well known for his brand of minimalism which featured simplicity of harmonic language and repetitive patterns that slowly morph over long time spans. His works since his break through include The Portrait Trilogy, a set of three operas, each focusing on a different historical figure (just this past year the Metropolitan Opera presented the second of the trilogy, Satyagraha). Through the late 80s and 90s, Glass continued to explore the traditional musical forms and genres, such as the String Quartet, and (particularly since the 90s) the Symphony. His work in the Symphonic form began in 1992 with a symphony based on David Bowie’s album, “Low”. Glass followed this later with his Fourth Symphony subtitled “Heros” which is also based on a David Bowie album. Glass’s many achievements, contributions to the musical scene of America, and his many scores for television and film have made Glass a household name.

In celebration of his 75th birthday, the American Composers Orchestra, led by Dennis Russell Davies, will be premiering Glass’s newest addition to his symphonic output, “Symphony no. 9”. The concert will be held at Carnegie Hall on the evening of Glass’s birthday, January 31st. (Interestingly enough, Glass has already finished his tenth symphony, beating the fabled curse of the ninth!)