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Last night I watched "Glass: a portrait of Philip Glass in twelve parts", a documentary about composer Philip Glass that will be playing at the MFA Thursday night, and several times in August. I'm writing the program notes for the screenings. It was a very interesting film that provided a very up-close and personal view of Glass. It showed him composing, interacting with collaborators and spiritual mentors, spending time with his family, and doing everyday activities like cooking. I was pleased that, while still a very warm and positive portrayal of the man and his music, the film did not go overboard on the admiration and did not try to present him as some sort of Great Man or Incredible Genius. Instead, it showed a working musician and composer. I also liked that neither the film nor Glass himself were afraid to get into things like the doubts and uncertainties that come with composing. I was especially happy when Glass admitted that he often doesn't know where a piece is going until well into the composition process and that he often doesn't know what the piece is really about until he is close to finishing it. I myself am no stranger to the fact that composing isn't usually about having everything figured out in some great flash of inspiration - it's typically about having an idea or a musical problem to explore and seeing where it takes you.
Personally, I have a rather love-hate relationship with Philip Glass' music. I often find that his use of repetition comes too close to monotony, and that there is not quite enough counterpoint there to really satisfy me. Despite the fact that I find Einstein on the Beach, Glass' seminal avant-garde opera, extremely fascinating, I have never been able to get through the entire thing. On the other hand, the pieces of his that I do find the most interesting and musically satisfying are works that I've come to really love. Satyagraha, which is about Gandhi, is an amazingly beautiful opera, and a piece in which I think Glass' tendency towards simplicity works beautifully. I am also a big fan of La Belle et La Bete, an opera which is performed synchronously with Cocteau's film. The instrumental parts (played by Glass' own ensemble rather than a traditional orchestra) are lush and melodious. And he handles the need for vocal parts consisting almost entirely of recitative-style writing so smoothly and perfectly. I first saw La Belle et La Bete live while I was in college, and it made a huge impression on me. It was like having the best dream ever.
Personally, I have a rather love-hate relationship with Philip Glass' music. I often find that his use of repetition comes too close to monotony, and that there is not quite enough counterpoint there to really satisfy me. Despite the fact that I find Einstein on the Beach, Glass' seminal avant-garde opera, extremely fascinating, I have never been able to get through the entire thing. On the other hand, the pieces of his that I do find the most interesting and musically satisfying are works that I've come to really love. Satyagraha, which is about Gandhi, is an amazingly beautiful opera, and a piece in which I think Glass' tendency towards simplicity works beautifully. I am also a big fan of La Belle et La Bete, an opera which is performed synchronously with Cocteau's film. The instrumental parts (played by Glass' own ensemble rather than a traditional orchestra) are lush and melodious. And he handles the need for vocal parts consisting almost entirely of recitative-style writing so smoothly and perfectly. I first saw La Belle et La Bete live while I was in college, and it made a huge impression on me. It was like having the best dream ever.