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| Glass: Violin concerto | 
 enlarge | Creators: Philip Glass, Takuo Yuasa, Ulster Orchestra, Adele Anthony
Label: Naxos American
Category: Music
List Price: $8.99
Buy New: $4.57
You Save: $4.42 (49%)
New (32) Used (12) from $3.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 36100
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.6 x 0.4
MPN: 559056
UPC: 636943905623
EAN: 0636943905623
ASIN: B00004SYG9
Release Date: May 16, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Movement 1 | | • | Movement 2 | | • | Movement 3 | | • | Movement 4 | | • | Movement 1 | | • | Movement 2 | | • | Movement 3 | | • | Prelude | | • | Dance (Act II, Scene III) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Philip Glass's signature doom-and-gloom minor sonorities and shifting rhythms scintillate and eddy under the touch of Adele Anthony and the Ulster Symphony. The solo line in the Violin Concerto is at odds with a unified orchestra throughout, and Anthony's romantic tone draws the listener in for an exploration of the texture, grain, and fiber of Glass's structural minimalism. The Ulster Symphony's rendering of Company and Akhnaten, under the leadership of Takuo Yuasa, forms brilliant darts of tonal color. As a musical adaptation of Samuel Beckett's prose of the same name, Company's dark ruminations are appropriate for the text's depiction of a solitary figure lying on his back in the dark. The orchestra seems aware of their repetitious mechanical task in performing these works, yet this human awareness is what makes Glass's orchestral work so compelling. --Alexis Odell
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Perfect Intro to Glass May 15, 2004
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is the perfect CD for people who are curious about Glass but don't want to spend $20 on a CD they may wind up hating. For $6.99 this is a killer deal. Bear in mind that many of the people who have given this CD a poor review are already familiar with Glass' work. We'll assume that the reader is not. These pieces are interesting,beautifully played,and do provide an excellent introduction to Glass' work.If you've always wondered whether or not Glass is your thing, or even if you've never heard of the guy, how can you go wrong for $7? I say slap down your money and give him a chance. I've played this as often as I've played any of his symphonies and soundtracks.Go for it!
 Boringboringboringboringboringboringboringboring November 9, 2003
12 out of 31 found this review helpful
The first time I listened to the Glass Violin Concerto, I found it interesting in a few spots, but decided I'd have to listen a second time in search of something deeper. The second time I listened I didn't hear anything deeper. This is ear candy, for the ears what Star Wars is for the eyes. In his excellent review for a different recording of the concerto, reviewer Karl Henzy says (and I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him): "...nothing could show the paucity of Glass's ideas than this Violin Concerto. Folks, we'd heard it all from him by the end of the 70s--he's just recycling now, and the material he's recycling was largely cliche to begin with." Hits it right on the head, in my opinion. Much the same is true of the other works here. I understand the idea behind minimalism, but we don't see even microchanges here, just repetitions. Glass' earlier music, to me, is far more interesting--Einstein, for example--even as it was expressively even more limited. Koyaanisqatsi works because of how it matches the images and because The Grid, for one, goes through some interesting developments. Those kinds of developments (vs sheer repetition) are missing in these works. Philip Glass said it all 20 years ago, I'm afraid.
Surprisingly great! September 25, 2000
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I picked up this CD just out of curiousity (already having a number of other Glass works, and knowing nothing about the Violin Concerto). This was among the better (serendipitous) selections I have ever made -- the Violin Concerto has become one of my favorites by Glass! While elements of this piece are very reminiscent of other works by the composer, it has a distinct style -- oftentimes, even showing elements of classical (traditional) styles in the movement between violin and orchestra. Especially for the price, and for this Violin Concerto, I recommend this CD!
Two out of three isn't bad. November 27, 2003
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The first two movements of the Violin Concerto are excellent. I think it's the only violin concerto out there that even comes close to Mendelssohn's romantic masterpiece. The final movement to the concerto was a colossal mistake. I guess the muse has to abandon you from time to time lest you'll take her favors for granted.The Company is okay, but it's nothing to rave about. I'd say that the disc was more than worth the price for the first two movements of the Glass Violin Concerto.
 full orchestral treatment of major works August 12, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is one of those items that I feel hasn't gotten a really on-target review. I'm not sure a CD by one composer is the place to discuss the merits of his whole genre of music. Admittedly I write from a perspective of a fan of minimalism and of Philip Glass. And for someone knowledgable of the field and of Glass's output, this CD has strong appeal.
First, the Naxos price is a bargain. They're really serving a role in making challenging, sometimes rarely heard music available to a classical audience that doesn't have to be also an elite or wealthy one. Each of their composer-centered CDs seems carefully considered in order to provide both strong performances and well-chosen material as an introduction to the entire oeuvre of that master.
In particular, this CD shows a few sides of Glass, in the lush and comfortable setting of full orchestral performances (quite different from his chamber, solo piano, self-played or even soundtrack work). The two pieces from his opera Akhnaten that close out the disc offer wonderfully evocative melodies. Once meant to be sung or performed with bright visuals and actors, these arrangements focus only on the strength of his melodies and harmonies, with a full pallette of color and emotions in what must be read as his homage to an ancient and tragically odd, lost kingdom. There's a stately spirituality in this music that well evokes pyramids, desert sand and the rays of the sun god.
"Company" consists of busy short pieces typical of Glass's 80s work, and the Violin Concerto is his first major concert-hall work, not commissioned in support of any other project or medium. It provides a memorable showcase for violinist Adele Anthony.
However, I do have some quibbles, as one often does with Naxos cds. The recording levels are low, and there's not a lot of distinction between instruments in the mix. I'm all for a more aggressive, rock-style approach to both the playing and recording of classical music, and the Naxos label is frequently too timid on this front.
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