Glass Notes

Philip Glass' 75th Birthday Cake by the Cake Boss

ACO Celebrates Philip Glass at 75

Philip Glass on Shattering His Idea of an Artist’s Life

From Newsweek: "I was never one to party. I wasn’t a saint, either, but when I was young, I had the idea that I would never get married and never have children. I don’t know where I got the idea, but I thought an artist had to be committed to his work and live a solitary, monastic life. It didn’t turn out that way."  Read the full article here.

Alex Ross reports from Ann Arbor on therestisnoise.com

Also the Detroit News reports on Einstein on the Beach which played in previews in Ann Arbor over the weekend. "Revived Einstein Retains its Exponential Magic.":

"Yet actual defections were few. It was a well-filled house that showered its final applause on the cast, orchestra and creative trio of Glass, Wilson and Childs. Is "Einstein" a long night? It seems that's a matter of relativity."

And Anne Manson, conductor of the recording of Orphée returns to the Portland Opera and mentions her upcoming performances of Glass' Galileo Galilei.

More on Einstein...

Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's landmark opera 'Einstein on the Beach' heads to Ann Arbor

"It's only January, but the classical music event of the year is already upon us"- The Detroit Free Press

Piece No.1 and Piece No.2

Einstein on the Beach - Preview Performances, Ann Arbor

Only eight days to the opening of the preview performances of Einstein on the Beach in Ann Arbor Michigan. 

Download Video as MP4

Download Video as MP4

By the Way, I love the Einstein bobble head on Glass' piano.

NY Times Arts & Leisure Full Video

Scroll down a bit because this is a live stream site which includes the newest participants at the top.

New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend

Philip Glass will participate in the New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend on Saturday at 2:00PM EST.

Celebrate Arts & Leisure Weekend with New York Times journalists and these luminaries of film, theater, music, television, literature and more.

WATCH LIVE ONLINE
January 5 – 8

The New Year - Symphony No.9, Kepler, Brooklyn Rider

Well Happy New Year to everyone.  I'm back from holiday and happy to report that Glass' Ninth Symphony has been premiered and according to my google translation was a great success - and apparently we can look forward to a quick release of the new work on CD:  To any German speakers among my readers, translations of these reviews would be appreciated, the Salzburger Nachtnichten in particular.

"These were the most spontaneous standing ovation I have ever experienced! "Said LIVA director Wolfgang Winkler was pleased with the cheers of the New Year's concert with the Bruckner Orchestra and conductor Dennis Russell Davies on 1 January at the Bruckner House, culminating in the premiere of Philip Glass's "Ninth" was. "I have promised to Dennis Russell Davies, not to speak about the 10th before the 9th was premiered - now I can, yes. So: The 10th Symphony is already written! In Linz a recording was made: a CD of his "Ninth", played by the Bruckner Orchestra. "This is the fastest of the Bruckner Orchestra CD ever!" Promises its chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies."

In other news, Brooklyn Rider closed out the year with being picked by LPR as the best of 2011 and the Spoleto Festival USA announced its season including the first staged performances of Glass' opera Kepler in the US.

 

 

In the Penal Colony on iTunes

The Amazon release date got pushed back a week for some reason however the Glass chamber opera based on Kafka, In the Penal Colony, is now available on iTunes.

 

Going Home...

The news today is that the American war in Iraq is officially over only about nine years after George Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech in May 2003.  Just as Glass' opera Satyagraha will be relevant forever because there will always be injustice against which protest and civil disobedience is required, unfortunately there will also be relevance to J.M. Coetzee's 1980 novel "Waiting for the Barbarians" on which Glass wrote an opera at the height of the Iraq conflict in 2005 after having gotten the rights to the story in 1990.

In Coetzee's tale, Empire comes to a small town on the fringe, takes over in an effort to launch a preemptive  "short sharp war to safeguard the peace." Torturing and beatings ensue in an effort to get information about the "enemy" Barbarians whom we never see and don't really know anything about.  At one point in Act I, the opera's villain Colonel Joll, as Empire is taking over, says "Normally speaking, we would never approve of torture, but I think it's widely understood that this is an emergency."

At the end of the opera, ultimately beaten and frustrated, Empire withdraws its forces after accomplishing absolutely nothing.  It leaves the residents of the town ruined and unprotected.  The opera's main character, the town Magistrate confronts the Empire's top military commander:

WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, ACT II, Scene 8

(Christopher Hampton, librettist)

Play: Waiting for the Barbarians Act II Scene 8

---------------------------------------

(The town is deserted.)

MAGISTRATE

Tell me...What has happened?

(The Soldier, reluctant, tries to wriggle free; but the Magistrate, whose arms have clearly healed in the time that has elapsed, holds him in an iron grip.  Two other Soldiers come to the aid of their colleague, grappling with the Magistrate in order to free him.)

You must tell me!

SOLDIERS

What?  What do you want to know?

MAGISTRATE

Where is everyone?

SOLDIERS

Lost; deserted; gone we don’t know where.

MAGISTRATE

Do you mean….the barbarians have conquered?

SOLDIERS

How do we know? We hardly ever saw them

They wouldn’t stand and fight

They lured us on across an empty desert

They cut our horses loose at night

They picked us off one by one

And then they vanished up into the mountains

Where our men froze or lost their footing

Why were we not told it would be like that?

(The Magistrate sees Joll, as he strides back into the square, followed by Mandel and a number of Soldiers, a couple of whom carry armfuls of loaves which they load into the palanquin. The Magistrate steps forward to intercept Joll; as they talk, the square gradually fills with Townspeople, drawn by the unusual level of activity. Joll fixes the Magistrate with a steely gaze.)

JOLL

So you’re still stinking up the place?

MAGISTRATE

Have you come back to spill more innocent blood?

JOLL

You like to think you’re my opposite

But let me just assure you: you are not

You are the lazy lie we tell ourselves

When times are easy prosperous and fat

But I, I am the truth the Empire speaks

When harsh winds blow.

Now step aside.

(There’s a patch of raised ground on one side of the square: Joll moves over to it and turns to address the group of Townspeople who have now assembled.)

I have an announcement to make

In the name of the Imperial command

As a purely temporary measure

Our Army is withdrawing to the capital

For reasons I am sure you understand

Military operations at the front

Will cease for the winter

I expect to be back here in the spring

When we will begin a new offensive

To crush the enemy once and for all.

(A hostile murmur has arisen among the Townspeople, growing in anger and intensity as Joll’s address continues: now the crowd takes up the word “Enemy!” and begins to repeat it insistently. Joll hurries to bring his remarks to a conclusion, aware of the ugly atmosphere.)

In the meantime, my men and I must thank you

For you unforgettable hospitality….

(He’s interrupted by the Townspeople who begins to surge forward, shouting “Enemy! Traitor! Murderer!” A stone thrown from the Crowd crashes against the wall behind Joll.  He breaks off and hurries down towards his palanquin, the Soldiers automatically forming a protective phlanx around him.  But he’s unable to avoid the Magistrate, who confronts him, as he approaches the palanquin.)

MAGISTRATE

The crime that is latent in us

It is our duty to inflict

On ourselves not on others

(Joll looks at him, his unprotected eyes widening.)

Do you hear me?

The crime that is latent in us

It is our duty to inflict

On ourselves not on others

JOLL

(to the driver)

Go! Hurry!

--------------------------------------------------
Of Course the point of this whole work is that it's not about America in Iraq, or the Soviets in Afganistan, or the Germans in France, or the Japanese in China. 

The point is that this will happen again; Great art makes points and poses questions that we can have the courage to answer.  Will we ever have the wisdom to prevent it in the future? The truth is that "We've heard this story before and we know how it ends."