Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Philip Glass in concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

I don't listen to much classical music but I like the music of Philip Glass a lot.  I first heard his music on the soundtrack of an episode of Battlestar Galactica.  I was so impressed by the track that I identified it using google.  I then bought the 'solo piano' CD from Amazon.  I'm not sure how many times I've listened to it since then but I have listened to it a lot.

When I noticed that Glass was playing a series of concerts in Glasgow I knew that I had to see him play.  I was also very excited when I realised that he would play some of the pieces from 'solo piano' including 'mad rush' and parts of the 'metamorphosis' cycle.  I was able to get some decent seats with a good view of the stage.

The heat in Glasgow was extreme that day.  Thankfully the air conditioning at the concert hall made it very comfortable inside.  Glass looks good for 75.  He introduced and explained his music.  He played some tracks alone before leaving the stage as violinist Tim Fain played some solo violin pieces.  They then played together on a piece called Pendulum that is not yet available on CD.  I really enjoyed this piece. 

The crowd enjoyed the concert, hanging on every note.  Warm applause met the end of the main set and some further pieces were played.  Glass played another solo piano piece and Fain played some music from Eistein on the beach.

This was a great show and I wish it had lasted longer.  I am not a classical music enthusiast but this is probably one of the best concerts I've ever seen.  I'm glad I was there.

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