It's pretty amazing to watch them perform, but this is probably my least favorite Glass piece. It feels just as mechanical and static as his music is often accused of being (but really isn't most of the time).
It's interesting, in it's way, that when someone can't conceive beauty in a particular musical space they interpret that as beauty being impossible in that space, rather than being able to recognize it as their own conceptual predisposition.
As amazing as this piece is, it's so much more impressive in context as the climax to Einstein.... as the culmination of the previous 3+ hours... it's probably my favorite counter to the argument that Philip Glass music "never goes anywhere"... it definitely goes somewhere, eventually, and imo it's worth the 3 hour wait!
Why do people think that unmusical orchestrations with irregular time signatures and endless repetition makes for humanly resonant music that should be loved by all? D:
@Goldmouth101 I don't know, maybe something that isn't headache inducing, or making you wish that the melody would just move on already, instead of being stuck in that off-measure looping tangent that sounds musically wrong and makes me cringe.
Try to analyze the human imagination.Imagination is very,very priceless.I wondered if we, could just walk inside the human mind and heart,when it's imagination motors start to turn,would it sound like this.I simply embrace this,for my personal reasons.
Does anyone have a clue who and what instrument is playing the bass part?(In spaceship) When I heard it on recording, I thought it must me Glass's left hand, but in this video you can see, that its not him.
@Martincer Yea it's definitely Michael Riesman's left hand, if you watch the documentary this footage comes from (which is on youtube in 6 parts), Glass and Riesman explain that his left hand is what the entire ensemble is following for time keeping.
I guess on your quest to "go find your own awesome" you will encounter garbage along the way and feel the need to tell others that the awesome they found is garbage. Thanks for the insightful and productive critique.
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
this video is "f"ing dank at first the repetition i loathed i thought it was pretentious and well just lame but the thing was the more i listened to it i couldn't seem to keep it out of my head rock over well's theatre london rock on chicago kodak see what develops
this video is pretty fu*king dank!! the repetition at first i loathed i mean i thought it was "f"ing stupid i mean a real pretentious waste of time however the more i listened to it i realized just how much i loved it because i couldn't stop thinking about it i would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this ridiculous music. rock over wells theatre london rock on chicago kodak see what develops
This is perhaps the best piece of music I've ever heard, and I dislike roughly 99.5% of music. The only music artist I find worth comparing to Philip Glass is Lisa Gerrard.
On the risk of getting downrated even more by you PG fans I wanted to say that what phillip does is interesting: for the first 1.5 minute. After that it becomes nothing more than a trick. And I would say that about every artist whatsoever that keeps repeating something just because it's "a new invention". Even though timing is an interesting subject to play around with, i think Dreamtheater does the same but better. Now I'll sit back and wait... ;)
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Did this man ever got a mental check? I think he's hearing voices and he definitely has a social disorder. The people that are actually listening to this too probably. Maybe we should form a church around this man... He could probably preach and mumble pretty insanely too...
Hahahaha! very nice comment! I respect that! And I DO acknowledge the fact that his compositions are complex and hard to play. I just don't measure greatness by how complex someones work is: I believe making a song or a painting or a poem or any other creation for that matter, using as few words or colours or distracting show-off stuff as possible, often is much more difficult to do! And very often a lot more appealing. Less can be more ;) But ofcourse I'm glad for him he has some hardcore fans.
I find it perpetually amusing that many on here consider Glass's music - among the most approachable "serious" music of the latter half of the twentieth century - to be "complex" or "pushing boundaries". Certainly the instrumental parts in THIS piece are tricky, owing to their speed, but they're derived from simple scales - the kind every musician practises day in, day out. For complexity, try Ligeti, Xenakis, Crumb - or even JS Bach!
And after listening to various pieces from all the artists you've named you can make the same argument that no matter how complex a piece is, the beauty in music is usually the simplicity of it all...hearing how the layers all fall together.
Xenakis has some pieces that make you think he was mentally diseased the way he attacks notation! I wouldn't consider them "serious" pieces nor "complex"...just simply emotional releases. and ALL artists are entitled to that in their careers...Philip too
Your aesthetic criterion - simplicity - is very limited and limiting, I feel. Sometimes artists require complexity to express complex ideas / emotions. In the case of Ligeti and Xenakis, they both lived through some terrible times: Xenakis lost an eye in the Greek civil war, while Ligeti grew up in Soviet Hungary. Ultimately for all four I cited, the complex method producing the music should never overshadow the expression of something much larger; and in this I think they all succeed.
from a musicians viewpoint, it's merely in the eye of the beholder. You can sit here and debate this all day and at the end of it, it's up to the interpreter how he/she feels about what they are hearing. I'm not knocking those composers talent levels. I'm only saying what I see when I hear their music. The same can be said of history's best composers. Some loved them, others did not. It doesn't mean they didn't contribute great pieces. That's all I mean by what I said.
Though quality seems to be bigger than mere personal opinion... I can look at a painting which highly offends me with it's revolting ugliness and still appreciate the quality the painter brought to it.
@Mymothercanrun ;D indeed so. Sorry. ;) I don't think he was deliberately trying to be one,or considered one in his own time. And actually I meant it in general: if one puts that many notes in a musical piece without it telling an interesting story I'd still call that overkill. It might be interesting overkill,if considered technically,but overkill nevertheless. And @ the end of the day PG's stories seem similar to me as to listening to a bunch of woman in the laundryroom for over half an hour.
@Dadagnos But its not as if this piece moves no where. It does move, it has a flow, a direction, and it does build. Its not as if there is nothing being conveyed here. I find great enjoyment in this piece, I find it chaotic yet relaxing at the same time, and can't think of many classical songs that I could give that description too. I think the piece is just fine as is, and is not excess in any way, shape or form.
I think that's what grabs me about his music as well. What bothers me about people belittling Philip is simple: music is evolutionary. It should never stay the same or remain capsulized.. Even the BEST pianist in the world break forth and play music that isn't up to the standards of pure classical and they get blasted for it. This reminds me of how Wynton Marsalis goes after nearly ever jazz musician for not keeping jazz traditional. Give me a break...
Only of those with either very little or very much of it I'm afraid. I think the man looks, acts and composes like a freak, but after the last comment from Mymothercanrun and cbmuzik I hereby promise that I'll shall listen to Phillip Glass every once in a while to see if I can somehow get to the point where I start enjoying it and maybe hear what it is that you guys are hearing...
You're very passionate about your music...so that's a good thing...lol. But hey, suite yourself. Don't worry about my tastes in music. I'm all over the spectrum, my friend. =]
@Mymothercanrun (nice name by the way! ;)) Don't worry I'm not saying anything about this music being worthless. To some people in some particular mood it might well be extremely pleasant! But 1 flow and 1 direction just isn't interesting enough to me, and the man and his music should certainly not be worshipped. I actually like going to TeKno-parties every now and than, but you should never dare tell me that TeKno is "brilliantly composed!" or that the creator is a "genius".It simply isn't.
One of the greatest works of the 20th century. A personal favorite. Look at the intensity in each of the musicians. The focus. Every second is beautiful. How anyone ever keeps up with Glass, brilliance.
Since my early childhood I have had a melody recurring in my head that I always thought was from a dark dream that stuck with me. When I discovered more of Philip Glass's music I realized that the melody in my mind could only have come one of his compositions that I must have heard at that age. I have yet to find out which one.
Spaceship certainly reminds me of it. What an incredible piece...I've been trying to keep track of the meters and time signatures but this is truly advanced music.
I had the same experience and realized years later that I first heard his music when I was probably 3 to 5 years old when I used to watch Sesame Street. Do a search on Youtube for: Philip Glass - Sesame Street - Geometry of Circles
I just saw the Philip Glass Ensemble perform "Music In 12 Parts" in San Francisco. I was completely blown away. As I watched them perform I had the same reaction, this the craziest music ever! How can such insane music come from such a mild mannered person?
The difference between Philip Glass and most musicians, including those of the "Classical" genre is that virtually all musicians find "form", as opposed to "content" the initial, if not primary focus of creating a piece of music. Philip uses the complete reverse scheme: This is all protein-- no fat. Here, the repetition is a device which lends to the "form". I don't see this music as being minimal at all.
No i haven't seen Steve Reich sex tapes. So what is it then, The repetition of the same position over and over and over and over and over again. With only the slight variation
Calling it minimalism is somehow weird, as there is so much going on at the same time. This type of music can't be much better than this, and Einstein still stands as Glass' finest work i.m.o. Definitely one of my favourite albums!
Believe it or not, it's possible to dislike something and understand it at the same time. Close-minded? Because I hate Philip Glass? Your logic is amusing.
That's why the word Classical music is misleading - There are 2 sides of the coin one might say, Bach is baroque, but he is also classical - much like both progressive, psychedelic, post, and punk are rock.
I have already given you several argues to how one can appreciate Philip Glass music. And I actually have to disagree with your "it's possible to dislike something and understand it at the same time" statement.
I don't believe you can actually dislike something and still understand it. If you did understand it, you would see what there is that's so worthy of appreciation. Now you're clearly missing that however.
Pandering to audiences? Sounds like a very elitist statement. Merely because there are people who can appreciate it, does that mean he SHOULD not make it? Here comes mr. Conceited, well read and intellectual and says "You can't like this! It's not like this or that" - typical elitism.
If I understand the music, the intentions of the composer, and see why audiences appreciate and like it, then I understand it. If I didn't understand it, I'd be saying "god, this is awful, repetitive noise.. my ears!!". It's not that I find it bad to listen to, or even consider it noise, it's the total lack of creativity from the man who wrote it. You cannot write a 20-minute piece with essentially nothing going on, and claim it comes from the greatest living composer without some backlash.
My listening tastes cover music from all different time periods, and all different genres. The whole 'classical' label as you know, is used to describe art music. To the layman, there is no difference between Bach and Schoenberg- they're both classical composers. I simply used that word as others do to avoid confusion, had I known it would have given you two comments worth of material, I wouldn't have bothered..
Considering the classical era ended a few centuries ago - then again, you need to seperate the idea of classical music and the scene of classical music - the idea of classical music, how something should be composed, is obviousely still present. And to me, that's just non-progressive and following old paths, instead of creating something never done before, or creating your own voice - this is what Philip Glass did, he created a language you obviousely do not understand.
His skills in finding an audience? You mean "pandering to audiences". Influential? Sure, but seen as most of the people who are influenced by his music don't know what they're doing, that's of no worry to me. My concern is not to be influential, it means nothing in the great scheme of things. I do however believe that composers who stick to old formulas and traditional ways of composing are retrogressive, but you still don't understand that I'm not one of those composers.
I cant believe this jackass has said the Glass doesn't know what he's doing. Get over yourself friend and maybe if you were half as enlightened as the people who are scolding you than you may be able to have an appreciation for this work and others like it but until then keep your snobbish comments to yourself
His persona, his ability and work ethics. His skills in finding an audience. His creation of something that had never been heard before - sure, tonality had been heard before in African roots - however, it had never been orchestrated this way before. See, this is why HE is one of the most influential composer of contemporary music and you are not. He's got something that seperates him from the rest.
It took him 9 years to develop a system of basic beat subdivision? It's an idea first used in African music, and Stravinsky and Messiaen translated that idea a lot more successfully into Western music. On that subject, I actually would have less of a problem with Glass if he wasn't considered a classical composer.
The result was amazing. When I first heard Philip Glass it was like listening to music from a different universe. This is part of the athmosphere - another part of the athmosphere he creates is that it doesn't change! However, play any part of his "Music in twelve part", start it at 00:01 for 10 seconds, then skip to 15 minutes later, you will hear the difference that you wouldn't have heard otherwise.
About dumbed down values; If you look at what's in a Mahler symphony, compared to a 2-minute song about unrequited love, I won't need to waste time differentiating dumb music from great music. If Glass actually is capable of writing a complex symphony, then he should. If you can do something, you do it. I'm sure that if he had enough talent, he'd manage to incorporate his personal style too. Writing complex music doesn't mean you're conforming, that's a strange thing to suggest.
Well you CAN compose a symphony consisting of only harmonicas and accordions, doesn't mean you necessarily WANT to. However you seem to miss a very important point: Taste is completely, and utterly subjective. This doesn't change your closed mindedness however.
And why does complexity HAVE to be a criteria for good music? Why not expression - emotional expression - which shines through Philip Glass music so forcefully.
Maybe then your taste isn't as extensive as mine. I find light in 2 minute songs of unrequited love aswell as 60 minute compositions by Philip Glass, aswell as 10 minute long progressive songs. I suck in all formats, standard pop format, most anything - the only criteria is that it comes from real emotions, so that the parallels I draw between the artist and myself is genuine and not based on false preconditions.
And I see no reason why you should classify Glass as a classical composer
Please enlighten me on what magnificent, innovative techniques are buried in the Glass orchestral works, I have a good sense of humour. You'd be surprised at what gets through this thick skull of mine, I've just completed my fourth symphony. =D
First of all, where are these disrespectful statements? Second of all, if those comments are aimed at shallow conformists, then I do think he has all the right in the world to throw disrespectful comments about them. Me, I am not interested in cheap lyrics, which comes from the masses opinions. I listen to Tool and Mars Volta, very far from cheap lyrics and amateurish musicianship. Philip Glass symphonies are not conservative, because they don't follow any old system or set orchestration.
wow, amazing...you do like George Carlin. Why don't you learn from him then? He was one of the greatest man in this country. TOO good probably. And he would always, always allow people to have their own opinions about things. B.Y.E!
What a strange reaction. At what point do you think you've not been allowed to have your own opinion? I thought the Rick Wakeman joke was funny, but now your getting all weird. You stated your opinion as "reality", I'm just saying it's YOUR reality and I dont subscribe to it, that's all. Nothing to be offended by as far as I can see. Anyway, I'll try to muster up some strength to accept your different opinion, since it's so incomprehensible to me that someone wouldn't like Glass' music
well well, incomprehensible? Why? Ok, I apologize if I was aggressive. My bad, sorry. But hey, I found incomprehensible when Glass said that his music is emotion while other contemporary music composers are only intellectual. The video is somewhere here on YT. His extreme and pejorative simplification of other people's music - dismissing it as purely intellectual and not emotional - is so arrogant, so pretentious. Well, I find perfectly normal to consider his music ultra simplistic and futile.
I am still trying to figure out the math on this!
governmentflu81 1 month ago
It's pretty amazing to watch them perform, but this is probably my least favorite Glass piece. It feels just as mechanical and static as his music is often accused of being (but really isn't most of the time).
jackal59 1 month ago
i love that MASSIVE high note the vocalist hits at 6:01, it's fun to just watch her hit it
NameNotAlreadyTaken2 2 months ago
Chord transitions at 0:53 are amazing! Wow, Mr. Glass! Bravo!!! You rock, sir!
NemoProkofiev551 2 months ago
brilliant!
governmentflu81 2 months ago
from 2:10 "HAND!!! wow the Addams family!!" (anyway wonderful piece.. good job Phil!)
teatrobellini 2 months ago in playlist Philip Glass 2
It's interesting, in it's way, that when someone can't conceive beauty in a particular musical space they interpret that as beauty being impossible in that space, rather than being able to recognize it as their own conceptual predisposition.
KingBee852 2 months ago
@KingBee852
That sure was a pretentious way to say "people think their personal opinions are fact".
BellsandBones 5 days ago
I saw this concert in 1981 and I count it as one of the greatest musical moments I've ever witnessed.
RockinRoyals19 4 months ago
Interesting...
silentjav 4 months ago
A strange mushroom from outer space seems to have landed on Glass' head.
SirBallsack 5 months ago
very cool, THX 4 sharing
number7gracestreet 5 months ago
As amazing as this piece is, it's so much more impressive in context as the climax to Einstein.... as the culmination of the previous 3+ hours... it's probably my favorite counter to the argument that Philip Glass music "never goes anywhere"... it definitely goes somewhere, eventually, and imo it's worth the 3 hour wait!
doctordave 6 months ago
ES ENIGMATICAMENTE GENIAL.......
rashidmohameed 7 months ago
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One of my favorite Operas and the only Opera I have in 3CD collection. Just as powerful today as it was the first time I listened to it.
ASTROBSTRO 7 months ago
One of my favorite Operas and the only Opera I have in 3CD collection. Just as powerful today as it was the first time I listened to it.
ASTROBSTRO 7 months ago
Why do people think that unmusical orchestrations with irregular time signatures and endless repetition makes for humanly resonant music that should be loved by all? D:
moopMASTER2000Films 7 months ago
@moopMASTER2000Films Define "unmusical."
zmsquee 5 months ago
@zmsquee Definition: 0:53 and beyond.
moopMASTER2000Films 5 months ago
@moopMASTER2000Films Define what is 'musical' then?
Goldmouth101 5 months ago
@Goldmouth101 I don't know, maybe something that isn't headache inducing, or making you wish that the melody would just move on already, instead of being stuck in that off-measure looping tangent that sounds musically wrong and makes me cringe.
moopMASTER2000Films 5 months ago
@moopMASTER2000Films Ok then, you try writing a piece that comes anywhere close to this kind of masterpiece and I will eat my computer mouse :) x
Goldmouth101 5 months ago
@Goldmouth101 You don't get it do you? This particular piece isn't a masterpiece, it's an abomination to music.
moopMASTER2000Films 5 months ago
@moopMASTER2000Films So you admit defeat then? :) Yay, my mouse is safe!
Man, you are allowed to have your own opinion. Just don't force it on us yeah? Just go listen to music you like.
Goldmouth101 5 months ago
nice work!!! its cray!!!
thefirerockstar 7 months ago
This is from a time when Glass was really good. His music became a lot blander after 1990...
BlueCougar 8 months ago
thats some amazing keyboard playing !!
cubanbanana 11 months ago
I absolutely love 0:54!!
GamerX7800X 11 months ago
Try to analyze the human imagination.Imagination is very,very priceless.I wondered if we, could just walk inside the human mind and heart,when it's imagination motors start to turn,would it sound like this.I simply embrace this,for my personal reasons.
loveshackartandphoto 1 year ago
Does anyone have a clue who and what instrument is playing the bass part?(In spaceship) When I heard it on recording, I thought it must me Glass's left hand, but in this video you can see, that its not him.
Martincer 1 year ago
@Martincer It's one of the other electric organs. Probably Michael Riesman (directly across from Glass).
coasterman16 11 months ago
@Martincer Yea it's definitely Michael Riesman's left hand, if you watch the documentary this footage comes from (which is on youtube in 6 parts), Glass and Riesman explain that his left hand is what the entire ensemble is following for time keeping.
NPjazzsaxmusic 9 months ago
@Martincer Michael Riesman plays the bass on the small ARP Explorer bass synth on top of his Yamaha YC-45D.
BlueCougar 8 months ago
sideshow bob
cidermadness 1 year ago
Tuuuuuuuune :) Masterful variations of a groove and melody.
subclonk 1 year ago
pHIL @ DA sT. lOUIS aRT mUSEUM IN EARLY 70'S - BOOED AND FOLK WALKED OUT - -LITTLE 'they' KNOW!
WimGrundy 1 year ago
How do you not run out of breath?!
(Circular breathing, micro breaths? No clue. It's genius.)
I have a really hard time trying to follow along with all the time signature changes.
rstblackorchid 1 year ago
@rstblackorchid inward breathing, like what jack black teaches us on the first tenacious d album!
but honestly i have no answer...
pathemus 1 year ago
0:53 is my favorite part
PurpleHatFilms 1 year ago
12 people went back and listened to Jessica Simpson instead.
coosoorlog 1 year ago 2
2:09 disembodied hand symphony
projectbeard 1 year ago 2
AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG..........
karimabdullyabar 1 year ago
Go back and listen to Jessica Simspon, you jackass.
benmillerintx 1 year ago
Love this!
marcusunlimited 1 year ago
wow - I love powerful ensembles. Glass is an inspiration, and inspires me to write, and mostly, to think.
Keep up the powerful energy.
Leanne
leannebridgewater 1 year ago 2
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i'm sorry, but this is garbage.
gofindyourownawesome 1 year ago
I guess on your quest to "go find your own awesome" you will encounter garbage along the way and feel the need to tell others that the awesome they found is garbage. Thanks for the insightful and productive critique.
mrsticker2 1 year ago 35
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
Butts00000 5 months ago
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
Butts00000 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@mrsticker2 The fact that you posted the video and have a differing opinion, does not make you more right. People are all entitled to their opinion no matter how they decide to word it. For some reason everyone expects that on a video sharing site, such as youtube, only positive feedback is acceptable otherwise you have no business there. That makes the whole world a lot more close-minded.
Butts00000 5 months ago
@mrsticker2 Now, now children, be nice. Everyone's allowed to voice their opinions: freedom of speech, people. :)
NemoProkofiev551 2 months ago
@gofindyourownawesome Go back to your lofty tower, grandpa
dinotles 1 year ago
@gofindyourownawesome I agree.
CardbreakerX 1 year ago
@gofindyourownawesome yep its pish
cidermadness 1 year ago
@gofindyourownawesome yep its pish, just noise
cidermadness 1 year ago
@gofindyourownawesome good one!
katcarothers 4 months ago
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY...
ripelivejam 1 year ago
@ripelivejam Yes...Glass featured in South Park....:-))
govpavlicek 1 year ago
this video is "f"ing dank at first the repetition i loathed i thought it was pretentious and well just lame but the thing was the more i listened to it i couldn't seem to keep it out of my head rock over well's theatre london rock on chicago kodak see what develops
nissutxam 1 year ago
this video is pretty fu*king dank!! the repetition at first i loathed i mean i thought it was "f"ing stupid i mean a real pretentious waste of time however the more i listened to it i realized just how much i loved it because i couldn't stop thinking about it i would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this ridiculous music. rock over wells theatre london rock on chicago kodak see what develops
nissutxam 1 year ago 3
Thank you Wesley Willis
mrsticker2 1 year ago 8
@mrsticker2 jajaja
xfebar 1 year ago
Steve Reich & Philip Glass are the legends of Minimalism, they may have not started it, but they've defined it :)
vilxan 1 year ago
This music is inspired by the sounds within Sara Palin's Brain.
michaelmouse1 1 year ago
@michaelmouse1 LOL
xwinkwinko 1 year ago
@michaelmouse1 hahahaha lmao
dapivimu 1 year ago
the hot shit
strizzyl 1 year ago 2
right to the point. this is the shit.
benmillerintx 1 year ago 2
This is perhaps the best piece of music I've ever heard, and I dislike roughly 99.5% of music. The only music artist I find worth comparing to Philip Glass is Lisa Gerrard.
flyingcloudkitty 1 year ago
lisa gerrard is not a minimalistic singer
poptarts47 1 year ago
On the risk of getting downrated even more by you PG fans I wanted to say that what phillip does is interesting: for the first 1.5 minute. After that it becomes nothing more than a trick. And I would say that about every artist whatsoever that keeps repeating something just because it's "a new invention". Even though timing is an interesting subject to play around with, i think Dreamtheater does the same but better. Now I'll sit back and wait... ;)
Dadagnos 1 year ago
His music isn't complicated at all. It's just hard to play because it's so goddamned unmusical.
Jazzdog40 1 year ago
One thing with P.G he never uses percussion. I'd like to hear what a top drummer Dennis Chambers for example would do with this.
bazonics 2 years ago
@bazonics The concerto for two timpanis is an obvious counterexample.
Chromometron 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Did this man ever got a mental check? I think he's hearing voices and he definitely has a social disorder. The people that are actually listening to this too probably. Maybe we should form a church around this man... He could probably preach and mumble pretty insanely too...
Dadagnos 2 years ago
Are you kidding? He is one of the greatest composers. He may be insane but he is insanely brilliant.
atthelake16 2 years ago 3
Hahahaha! very nice comment! I respect that! And I DO acknowledge the fact that his compositions are complex and hard to play. I just don't measure greatness by how complex someones work is: I believe making a song or a painting or a poem or any other creation for that matter, using as few words or colours or distracting show-off stuff as possible, often is much more difficult to do! And very often a lot more appealing. Less can be more ;) But ofcourse I'm glad for him he has some hardcore fans.
Dadagnos 2 years ago
i'm not a hardcore fan, but i like to listen to his music occasionally
I wouldn't call his music show off music, I would more say he is pushing boundaries of what music is supposed to sound like.
chillerbro9000 2 years ago
If you can move and excite people, then that is enough.
Andrewsmate 2 years ago
I find it perpetually amusing that many on here consider Glass's music - among the most approachable "serious" music of the latter half of the twentieth century - to be "complex" or "pushing boundaries". Certainly the instrumental parts in THIS piece are tricky, owing to their speed, but they're derived from simple scales - the kind every musician practises day in, day out. For complexity, try Ligeti, Xenakis, Crumb - or even JS Bach!
isherwood 1 year ago 2
Couldn't agree more, nor could I have said it better.
Dadagnos 1 year ago
And after listening to various pieces from all the artists you've named you can make the same argument that no matter how complex a piece is, the beauty in music is usually the simplicity of it all...hearing how the layers all fall together.
Xenakis has some pieces that make you think he was mentally diseased the way he attacks notation! I wouldn't consider them "serious" pieces nor "complex"...just simply emotional releases. and ALL artists are entitled to that in their careers...Philip too
cbmuzik 1 year ago
Your aesthetic criterion - simplicity - is very limited and limiting, I feel. Sometimes artists require complexity to express complex ideas / emotions. In the case of Ligeti and Xenakis, they both lived through some terrible times: Xenakis lost an eye in the Greek civil war, while Ligeti grew up in Soviet Hungary. Ultimately for all four I cited, the complex method producing the music should never overshadow the expression of something much larger; and in this I think they all succeed.
isherwood 1 year ago
@isherwood
from a musicians viewpoint, it's merely in the eye of the beholder. You can sit here and debate this all day and at the end of it, it's up to the interpreter how he/she feels about what they are hearing. I'm not knocking those composers talent levels. I'm only saying what I see when I hear their music. The same can be said of history's best composers. Some loved them, others did not. It doesn't mean they didn't contribute great pieces. That's all I mean by what I said.
cbmuzik 1 year ago
Though quality seems to be bigger than mere personal opinion... I can look at a painting which highly offends me with it's revolting ugliness and still appreciate the quality the painter brought to it.
And even the other way around...
Dadagnos 1 year ago
@Dadagnos Did you just call Philip Glass, one of the founders of minimalistic music a show off?
Mymothercanrun 1 year ago
@Mymothercanrun ;D indeed so. Sorry. ;) I don't think he was deliberately trying to be one,or considered one in his own time. And actually I meant it in general: if one puts that many notes in a musical piece without it telling an interesting story I'd still call that overkill. It might be interesting overkill,if considered technically,but overkill nevertheless. And @ the end of the day PG's stories seem similar to me as to listening to a bunch of woman in the laundryroom for over half an hour.
Dadagnos 1 year ago
@Dadagnos But its not as if this piece moves no where. It does move, it has a flow, a direction, and it does build. Its not as if there is nothing being conveyed here. I find great enjoyment in this piece, I find it chaotic yet relaxing at the same time, and can't think of many classical songs that I could give that description too. I think the piece is just fine as is, and is not excess in any way, shape or form.
Mymothercanrun 1 year ago 2
I think that's what grabs me about his music as well. What bothers me about people belittling Philip is simple: music is evolutionary. It should never stay the same or remain capsulized.. Even the BEST pianist in the world break forth and play music that isn't up to the standards of pure classical and they get blasted for it. This reminds me of how Wynton Marsalis goes after nearly ever jazz musician for not keeping jazz traditional. Give me a break...
Philip's music grabs the imagination
cbmuzik 1 year ago
Only of those with either very little or very much of it I'm afraid. I think the man looks, acts and composes like a freak, but after the last comment from Mymothercanrun and cbmuzik I hereby promise that I'll shall listen to Phillip Glass every once in a while to see if I can somehow get to the point where I start enjoying it and maybe hear what it is that you guys are hearing...
Dadagnos 1 year ago 3
You're very passionate about your music...so that's a good thing...lol. But hey, suite yourself. Don't worry about my tastes in music. I'm all over the spectrum, my friend. =]
cbmuzik 1 year ago
@Mymothercanrun (nice name by the way! ;)) Don't worry I'm not saying anything about this music being worthless. To some people in some particular mood it might well be extremely pleasant! But 1 flow and 1 direction just isn't interesting enough to me, and the man and his music should certainly not be worshipped. I actually like going to TeKno-parties every now and than, but you should never dare tell me that TeKno is "brilliantly composed!" or that the creator is a "genius".It simply isn't.
Dadagnos 1 year ago
he was not the founder he popularized but still he is not a show off
poptarts47 1 year ago
@poptarts47 that's why I said "one of." Not the first, but one of them and one that validate d it.
Mymothercanrun 1 year ago
mad man
fairastits 2 years ago
A face de um louco e uma cabeça brilhantemente geniosa.....
tocacola912 2 years ago
Augasm.
BouncePounce 2 years ago
One of the greatest works of the 20th century. A personal favorite. Look at the intensity in each of the musicians. The focus. Every second is beautiful. How anyone ever keeps up with Glass, brilliance.
windbag1980 2 years ago 2
I would smack P Diddy down the steps to his death to play like this!!!! =D
cbmuzik 2 years ago
He was 46 here. Full head of hair.
esrevernidellepS 2 years ago
He looks like side show bob from "The Simpsons"
killerwhale333 2 years ago 57
I saw this performed live this year. It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.
paulnaylor 2 years ago 4
he is an absolute g.
YourDreamTheater 2 years ago 4
saw him in concert,wow,wow,wow...just the best,...e
TheUnknownelvis 2 years ago
philip glass beyond rock star hood
retrocareermelted 2 years ago 5
Since my early childhood I have had a melody recurring in my head that I always thought was from a dark dream that stuck with me. When I discovered more of Philip Glass's music I realized that the melody in my mind could only have come one of his compositions that I must have heard at that age. I have yet to find out which one.
Spaceship certainly reminds me of it. What an incredible piece...I've been trying to keep track of the meters and time signatures but this is truly advanced music.
Peatman 2 years ago 8
I had the same experience and realized years later that I first heard his music when I was probably 3 to 5 years old when I used to watch Sesame Street. Do a search on Youtube for: Philip Glass - Sesame Street - Geometry of Circles
mrsticker2 2 years ago 5
@Peatman Philip Glass - Sesame Street - Geometry of Circles
ExploratoryMusic 1 year ago
Ma come cazzo si fa a comporre 'sta schifezza da dilettante, sempre uguale?
Glass, datti alla coltivaizone diretta, la musica non è per te.
laurion69 2 years ago
ENORME !!!
rollingvelvet 2 years ago
Beautiful
theemceemurdah 2 years ago
It is his best work, in my opinion. I truly feel that his music is too powerful for words.
opusnumberken 2 years ago 3
YOu feel the flow of life's embedded codes in his music!
To some his music is repetitive,some music can have ulterior purposes to induce a meditative state,which one finds in "Oriental "musics.
will4ward 2 years ago 2
BRILLIANT...
silverstartrucker 2 years ago
realy nice i love him.
BMadd7 2 years ago
Comment removed
LaquerCZ 2 years ago 20
Gorgeous!!!
FatherOfThings 2 years ago 2
i love this so much, its like a swirl of musical brilliance
ekahamsa 2 years ago
i guess he made music for pacman
JohnWeirdoe 2 years ago
Excelente.
m4559ey 2 years ago
Lol, at 2.10 it looks like two random hands are playing not attached to a body cos Glass is wearing black. Love it. Love the piece. Thanks
timw4653 2 years ago
Hmmm , mauvais équilibrage de la voix :/
dommage , c'est l'élément que je préfère dans cette composition.
djahai2 2 years ago
einstein on the beach is the most crazy piece of music i've ever heard.
floserber 2 years ago
I just saw the Philip Glass Ensemble perform "Music In 12 Parts" in San Francisco. I was completely blown away. As I watched them perform I had the same reaction, this the craziest music ever! How can such insane music come from such a mild mannered person?
mrsticker2 2 years ago
Ahh... back when Philip Glass truly rocked.
flammesombres 2 years ago
Give me more of this naked sex porn. It's great.
vanostraniii 3 years ago
Sure TempusTransit
televasion 3 years ago
The difference between Philip Glass and most musicians, including those of the "Classical" genre is that virtually all musicians find "form", as opposed to "content" the initial, if not primary focus of creating a piece of music. Philip uses the complete reverse scheme: This is all protein-- no fat. Here, the repetition is a device which lends to the "form". I don't see this music as being minimal at all.
TempusTransit 3 years ago 4
That says nothing about the music itself but speaks volumes on how the art of listening is often practiced.
bongfodder 2 years ago
Glass himself does not call his music "minimal" and finds this term inappropriately applied to much of his current work.
hfxmagdude 2 years ago
Philip Glass is brilliant!!!
silverstartrucker 3 years ago 2
now that was cool
SeanButt 3 years ago
He kicks the shit out of Terry Riley.
TempusTransit 3 years ago
It's a lot like blinking isn't it!?
I love you Dr. Glass!
vanderburgk 3 years ago 2
I just read your tags for this piece,
steve reich naked sex porn
Oh really
pressgangers 3 years ago
What? You haven't seen the Steve Reich sex tapes?
mrsticker2 3 years ago
No i haven't seen Steve Reich sex tapes. So what is it then, The repetition of the same position over and over and over and over and over again. With only the slight variation
pressgangers 3 years ago
Yes, and he's bent over a marimba.
mrsticker2 3 years ago
so am i right in thinking that he has a Modulation shot instead of a Money shot
pressgangers 3 years ago
Either way it's a huge climax.
mrsticker2 3 years ago
So was it a Solo piece or was there a woman involved. And was she wearing stockhausen and suspenders
pressgangers 3 years ago
I have! Let's say he's very, very, ummm... "minimal".
bgilles 3 years ago
Calling it minimalism is somehow weird, as there is so much going on at the same time. This type of music can't be much better than this, and Einstein still stands as Glass' finest work i.m.o. Definitely one of my favourite albums!
keramikk 3 years ago
w.o.w.
vivrelesyeuxouvert 3 years ago
Believe it or not, it's possible to dislike something and understand it at the same time. Close-minded? Because I hate Philip Glass? Your logic is amusing.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
"Art music" is not necessarily Classical music.
That's why the word Classical music is misleading - There are 2 sides of the coin one might say, Bach is baroque, but he is also classical - much like both progressive, psychedelic, post, and punk are rock.
I have already given you several argues to how one can appreciate Philip Glass music. And I actually have to disagree with your "it's possible to dislike something and understand it at the same time" statement.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
I don't believe you can actually dislike something and still understand it. If you did understand it, you would see what there is that's so worthy of appreciation. Now you're clearly missing that however.
Pandering to audiences? Sounds like a very elitist statement. Merely because there are people who can appreciate it, does that mean he SHOULD not make it? Here comes mr. Conceited, well read and intellectual and says "You can't like this! It's not like this or that" - typical elitism.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
wtf. he just doesn't like it.
mguse123 3 years ago
If I understand the music, the intentions of the composer, and see why audiences appreciate and like it, then I understand it. If I didn't understand it, I'd be saying "god, this is awful, repetitive noise.. my ears!!". It's not that I find it bad to listen to, or even consider it noise, it's the total lack of creativity from the man who wrote it. You cannot write a 20-minute piece with essentially nothing going on, and claim it comes from the greatest living composer without some backlash.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
My listening tastes cover music from all different time periods, and all different genres. The whole 'classical' label as you know, is used to describe art music. To the layman, there is no difference between Bach and Schoenberg- they're both classical composers. I simply used that word as others do to avoid confusion, had I known it would have given you two comments worth of material, I wouldn't have bothered..
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
Considering the classical era ended a few centuries ago - then again, you need to seperate the idea of classical music and the scene of classical music - the idea of classical music, how something should be composed, is obviousely still present. And to me, that's just non-progressive and following old paths, instead of creating something never done before, or creating your own voice - this is what Philip Glass did, he created a language you obviousely do not understand.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
His skills in finding an audience? You mean "pandering to audiences". Influential? Sure, but seen as most of the people who are influenced by his music don't know what they're doing, that's of no worry to me. My concern is not to be influential, it means nothing in the great scheme of things. I do however believe that composers who stick to old formulas and traditional ways of composing are retrogressive, but you still don't understand that I'm not one of those composers.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
I cant believe this jackass has said the Glass doesn't know what he's doing. Get over yourself friend and maybe if you were half as enlightened as the people who are scolding you than you may be able to have an appreciation for this work and others like it but until then keep your snobbish comments to yourself
jeffjeezy1tweezy 3 years ago
Aren't you missing a few insults?
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
His persona, his ability and work ethics. His skills in finding an audience. His creation of something that had never been heard before - sure, tonality had been heard before in African roots - however, it had never been orchestrated this way before. See, this is why HE is one of the most influential composer of contemporary music and you are not. He's got something that seperates him from the rest.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
It took him 9 years to develop a system of basic beat subdivision? It's an idea first used in African music, and Stravinsky and Messiaen translated that idea a lot more successfully into Western music. On that subject, I actually would have less of a problem with Glass if he wasn't considered a classical composer.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
The result was amazing. When I first heard Philip Glass it was like listening to music from a different universe. This is part of the athmosphere - another part of the athmosphere he creates is that it doesn't change! However, play any part of his "Music in twelve part", start it at 00:01 for 10 seconds, then skip to 15 minutes later, you will hear the difference that you wouldn't have heard otherwise.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
About dumbed down values; If you look at what's in a Mahler symphony, compared to a 2-minute song about unrequited love, I won't need to waste time differentiating dumb music from great music. If Glass actually is capable of writing a complex symphony, then he should. If you can do something, you do it. I'm sure that if he had enough talent, he'd manage to incorporate his personal style too. Writing complex music doesn't mean you're conforming, that's a strange thing to suggest.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
"If you can do something you do it"
Well you CAN compose a symphony consisting of only harmonicas and accordions, doesn't mean you necessarily WANT to. However you seem to miss a very important point: Taste is completely, and utterly subjective. This doesn't change your closed mindedness however.
And why does complexity HAVE to be a criteria for good music? Why not expression - emotional expression - which shines through Philip Glass music so forcefully.
It's not just his music though, it's also
Wishchrono 3 years ago
Maybe then your taste isn't as extensive as mine. I find light in 2 minute songs of unrequited love aswell as 60 minute compositions by Philip Glass, aswell as 10 minute long progressive songs. I suck in all formats, standard pop format, most anything - the only criteria is that it comes from real emotions, so that the parallels I draw between the artist and myself is genuine and not based on false preconditions.
And I see no reason why you should classify Glass as a classical composer
Wishchrono 3 years ago
Please enlighten me on what magnificent, innovative techniques are buried in the Glass orchestral works, I have a good sense of humour. You'd be surprised at what gets through this thick skull of mine, I've just completed my fourth symphony. =D
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
First of all, where are these disrespectful statements? Second of all, if those comments are aimed at shallow conformists, then I do think he has all the right in the world to throw disrespectful comments about them. Me, I am not interested in cheap lyrics, which comes from the masses opinions. I listen to Tool and Mars Volta, very far from cheap lyrics and amateurish musicianship. Philip Glass symphonies are not conservative, because they don't follow any old system or set orchestration.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
this is a cinch to play......
katcarothers 3 years ago
You know, you're probably right, except that you have to play it a million times in a row extremely fast without screwing up or else you fail. :D:D
CrackSnortingSailor 3 years ago
This gets a 19 out of 10
hoofdmusicus 3 years ago
You never did well in maths, did you..
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
This music throws maths out the window.
Stunning.
CrackSnortingSailor 3 years ago 3
Funny, considering Glass' music is based on endless subdivisions of beats.
sequenzaVII 3 years ago
Blah.
It's awesome.
CrackSnortingSailor 3 years ago 2
Do you know how to actually play this?
TheKinoEye 3 years ago
OH!
pianist12 3 years ago
Ummm. I just think it's really beautiful.
moonpie612 3 years ago 2
11 from 10 - master at work
clippingdetected 3 years ago
wow, amazing...you do like George Carlin. Why don't you learn from him then? He was one of the greatest man in this country. TOO good probably. And he would always, always allow people to have their own opinions about things. B.Y.E!
Justino111 3 years ago
What a strange reaction. At what point do you think you've not been allowed to have your own opinion? I thought the Rick Wakeman joke was funny, but now your getting all weird. You stated your opinion as "reality", I'm just saying it's YOUR reality and I dont subscribe to it, that's all. Nothing to be offended by as far as I can see. Anyway, I'll try to muster up some strength to accept your different opinion, since it's so incomprehensible to me that someone wouldn't like Glass' music
mrsticker2 3 years ago
well well, incomprehensible? Why? Ok, I apologize if I was aggressive. My bad, sorry. But hey, I found incomprehensible when Glass said that his music is emotion while other contemporary music composers are only intellectual. The video is somewhere here on YT. His extreme and pejorative simplification of other people's music - dismissing it as purely intellectual and not emotional - is so arrogant, so pretentious. Well, I find perfectly normal to consider his music ultra simplistic and futile.
Justino111 3 years ago
My sarcasm doesnt translate very well in type, which is what I was being when I s