Writings on Glass : essays, interviews, criticism

381 Pages·1999·20.2 MB·English

by  Kostelanetz, Richard

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^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^
Writings on *
ed by Rich elanetz Assistant
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!^^Glass
Copyriglitearnaiciial
'
ForMagdalenaSalvesen
'-'l-j"a'
i31ass
Essays,
interviews.
Criticism
EditecLan^ Introduced by -
Richard Kostelanetz
Assistant
Kotert Flemming
UNIVERSITYOFCAUFORNIAPRESS
Berkeley•LosAngeles•London
CopyrightedmatBrial
UnivenityofCaliforniaPress
BerkeleyandLosAngeles,California
UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Ltd.
London,England
Copyright(&1997bySchirmerBooks
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, mcluding photocopying,
recording, or byany information storage and retrieval system, withoutpermis-
sion inwritingfromthePublisher.
PublishedbyarrangementwithSchirmerBooks
AnImprintofSimon6cSchusterMacmillan
FirstPaperbackPrinting1999
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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10
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
WritingsonGlass:essays,interviews,criticism/editedandintroducedby
RichardKostelanetz;assistanteditor;RobertFlemming.
p. cm.
Originallypublished:NewYork:SchirmerBooks,1997.Withupdated
Ustofworksanddiscography.
Discography:p.
Includesbibliographical references(p. )andindex.
ISBN0-520-21491-9 (alk. paper)
1. Glass,Philip—Criticismandinterpretation. 1. Kostelanetz,
Richard. II. Flemming,Robert.
ML410.G398W75 1998
780'.92—dc21 98-7976
OP
MN
Thepaperusedinthispublicationisbothacid-fireeandtotallychlorine-free
(TCP).Itmeetsthe—minimumrequirementsof AmericanStandardfor
InformationSciences ^PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,
ANSIZ39.48.1984.e
CONTENTS
Mi Preface
« Intrnrjiintinn
PART ONE: METAMORPHOSIS (OVERVIEW)
3 TIMPAGE:PhilipGlass(1989)
12 EV GRIMES: Interview:Education(1989)
PART TWO- MDSKH WITH C^HAN](-,!]sJn PARTS
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
39 JOANLABARBARA:PhilipGlassandSteveReich:
TwoFromtheSteadyStateSchool(1974)
46 TIMPAGE:DialoguewithPhilipGlassandSteve
Reich(1980)
51 TOMJOHNSON:Chronicle. 1972>1981 (1989)
60 WESYORK:Formand Prcxess(1981)
80RICHARDFOREMAN:GlassandSnow(1970)
87ARTLANGE:Chronicie. 1977-1980
94JOHNHOWELL:ListeningtoGlass(1974)
98 TIMPAGE:Musicin 12Parts(1993)
102ALLANKOZINN:TheTouringComposeras
Keyboardist(1980)
109 RICHARDKOSTELANETZ: PhilipGlass(1979)
113EDWARDSTRICKLAND:Minimalism:T(1992)
V
Copyri
PARTTHREE: PLAY (MUSIC FOR Tl EATER AND FILM)
f
131 CHARLESMERRILLBERG: PhilipGlasson
ComposingforFilmandOtherForms:TheCaseof
Koyaanisqatsi(1990)
152DAVIDCUNNINGHAM:EinsteinontheBeach(1977)
167JOSEPHRODDY:ListeningtoGlass(1981)
176AlIANKOZINN:Glass'sSatya^aha(1986)
189ROBERTC.MORGAN:PhilipGlass:The
Photographer(1984,revised 1996)
193UNKNOWN: InterviewwithPhilipGlass(1984)
209MARKSWED:Editor'sPrefaceto"PhilipGlass's
Akhnaten'byPaulJohnFrandsen(1993)
212PAULJOHNFRANDSEN:PhilipGlass'sAkhnaten
(1993)
240THOMASRAINCROWE:HydrogenJukebox(1990)
256JOHNKQOPMAN:InterviewonOperas(1990)
265KYLEGANN:MidtownAvant^Gardist(1992)
271PETERG.DAVIS:StarDrek(1992)
&
274DAVIDWALTERS:Style Soul:Interview(1992)
279AARONM.SHAT7MAN:TheSoundofMinim;ilism:
PhilipGlassinConcertandonRecord(1987)
287RICHARDSERRA:PhilipGlass(1986)
316TRICYCLE:FirstLesson.BestLesson(1992)
PART FOUR: ENDGAMR
331 Bibliography
333 WorksbyPhilipGlass
345 Discography
353 Acknowledgments
357 BiographicalNotes
361 index
PREFACE
Initiallyregardedasarenegade,PhilipGlasshasbecomeoneofthemost
popular serious composers of ourtime, writing symphonies, operas, bal-
lets, film scores, musictheater, music fordance, and songs. He has made
morethanthirtycompactdisksandalbums. An active performer, he pre-
sents on averageover seventy-fiveconcerts a year. In 199^^his score for
the Martin Scorcese film, Kundun^ won the bestmusic award from the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association and was nominated for both a
Golden Globe and an AcademyAward for bestoriginalscore. With its
sparing use ofdialogue, this fihn aboutthe early life ofthe fburteendi
Dalai Lama relies heavily on images complemented only by music to
evokeanemotionalresponse.TheuseofactualTibetan instrumentscom-
binedwiththeessentialEastern underpinningsofGlass'smusicalstyleef-
fectively conveythe mysteries oftheTibetan culture. And like the earlier
films for which he has written music, Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi,
Kundun addresses asubjectthathasprofoundsocialandculturalimpor-
tanceforourtime. Glasshasbeen avisionaryleaderfrom the beginning
ofhiscareerandnowpopularcultureiscomingtoreflecthisaesthetic.
Thereisperhapsnobettertimetotakeacarefullookatthework
ofthe musician Philip Glass. Theessays inthis booktracehis develop-
mentfromhisentryintothemusicsceneinthe 1960$,atimeofinterest
in experimental forms in all the arts. Glass, along with contemporary
Preface
Copyrifitfed
avant-gardecomposeis likeTerryRiley, SteveReich,andothers,created
repetitivemodularnittsicthatwassimilartovisualstructuresemployedby
Sol LeWitt, CarlAndre, andother Minimalist artists. The connection be-
tweenartand musicatthetime is underscored byanilluminatingconver-
sation betweenthe sculptorRichard Serra and Glass. EdwardStrickland's
essay "Minimalism: T" studies the development of Minimalism and its
aestheticcharacteristics. Strickland points out that both GlassandReich
performedatthe '*Anti-IUiision'' showattheWhimey Museum, an im-
portantMinimaliitt/Post-MinimaUstexhibition.
Hm
Page'sessayonGlass'sseminalMusicinTlveheParts(1974)
describesthework as a "consciousencyclopediccompendium ofsome of
the techniquesofrepetitionthecomposer had beenevolvingsincethemid-
60s." Callingit"bothamassivetheoretical exerciseandadeeplyengross-
ing work ofart," Richard Kostelanetz in his essay analyzes its structure,
examiningbothitsnoveltyanditsresemblancetoBach'sArtoftheFugue,
Heshowshowthesimilar ChangingPartswasdesigned,inGlass'swords,
tobedeUberately**intentioniess,*'andconcludesbydescribingGlass'smu-
sicalgrammarasapsycho-acousticalphenomenonthatdemonstratesex-
perientiattytherelationshipbetweenmusicandhumanphysiology.
The TricycleinterviewwithHelenTworkov andRobert Coeal-
lows a rare glimpse into Glass^ spiritual practice and its impact on his
work. Beginningwithhisfindinghis firstyogateacherin 1962 bylooking
under Y in the yellow pages, Glass traces hisjourney from reading about
Zen inJohn Cage'swritings and learningIndian musical formsfromRavi
ShankarinParis.ThisinterviewwillenablereaderstoseethatGlass'ssuc-
cess is to some extent a reflection of his acceptance of a synchronistic
chain of being and his abiUty to maximize its potential. In retrospect,
Glass'sinvolvementwithEasternformsandpracticescanbeperceivedas
achainofserendipitouseventsthat,takentogethei;haveaprofoundlogic
andinevitabilityandthathaveshapedhiswork.
Writingson GlassfollowsGlass'sworkasitbecamemoremulti-
valent and morecontent-oriented inthe 1970s.Thework began to move
beyondpurelymusicalissueswhenheundertookaseriesofcollaborations
with Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs, Constance Dejong, Richard Fore-
man,DorisLessing, Robert Coe, Allen Ginsberg, andothers thatcan be
seen asthevanguardofwhatisbeingcalledthenewopera. Mostintrigu-
ingisPaulJohnFrandsen*sessayaboutAkhnateninwhichhepointsout
similarities between Glass and his subject and shows how Glass, like
AkhnatentheancientEgyptianreligiousleformei;resortstoconventionto
make himselfunderstood. Analyzing and describing Akhnaten scene by
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Copyrightedmaterial
scene, Fransden identifies Glass's unique musical structures and musical
notation, the opera's plot and its use ofEgyptian mythology, all from an
Egyptologist's perspective. Glass even inspires his critics. Thomas Rain
Crowe'sinventivereviewofHydrogenJukeboxiswritten inthespiritof
the music, using a repetitive structure similar to Glass's own composi-
tionaltechniques.CroweineffectcollaborateswithGlass,combininghis
ownspontaneousnotestakeninthetheaterduringtheperformancewtdi
sectionsquotedfromGinsberg'slibrettoandexcerptsfiromapre-showin-
terview with Glass. Using three different typefaces, Crowe interweaves
thesedifferentpointsofview intoanewtextproducedinresponsetothe
original.
Recently, Glasscompletedhis operatictrilogy based on theworks
ofJean Cocteau: thechamber opera Orphee (1993),anopera forfilm La
BelleetlaBeU(1994),andtheoperaballet LesEnfants Terribles(1996).
Glass wrote a new operatic score fortheclassic 1946 Cocteau film La
BelleetlaBete(BeautyandtheBeast)usingwordsfromtheoriginalfilm
and synchronized his music precisely frame by frame widi the original
film. The live singers act as a visual counterpart to the characters on
screen and in a deliberate layering or mirroring one character is some-
times played bytwopersons. This doublingemphasizesthedualitywhich
Cocteau himself uses as an allegory for the creative process and which
Glassreinvents onstage.Theresultisoneofthemostmovingandinnov-
ativeworkshehaseverdone.
LesEnfants Terribles {Children ofthe Game)^the final opera of
thetrilogy,premieredonMayISth,1996inZug,SwitzerlandAcollabo-
rationwithAmericanchoreographerSusanMarshall, LesEnfants Terri-
blesisnotproperlyanoperabutiscalleda"dance-operaspectacle."Sub-
dividedinto27scenes, the musicis scoredforthreeelectronickeyboards
played by members ofthe Philip Glass Ensemblewith Glass among them
and directed by Karen Kamensek. It is adapted from a Cocteau novel
aboutthetragic story offourchildren who livein a self-made narcissistic
fantasyworldandareincapableofescapingfromitastheygrowup.The
settingisaroomthatthechildrenturnintoaprivatesanctuary,aplaceof
mysteryandmagicthatonlychildrencancomprehendandenjoy.Juxta-
posedtothismythicalworld,overwhichnooneseemstohavecontrol,is
theactualworldinwhichtheyliveandreluctandymustface.
Heroes^ Glass's fourth symphony, isthe second partofa trilogy
andisbasedonthe 1977albumbyDavidBowieandBrianEno. (Thefirst
Bowie/Eno/Glass collaboration was the ^'Low" Symphony^ and Lodgeris
planned as the third.) Recorded by the American Composers Orchestra
Preface
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