philip glass: wichita vortex sutra

[TempodiPiano]

What an uninteresting music... however I will play it for my family who likes it...

[TheVodKanockers]

Maybe too rigid, but i can't find original song, just interpretation and covers...

[ohlordbabyjesus]

Kind of loses something when someone isn't reciting the poem over it.

[molitatron]

@ohlordbabyjesus ive never heard it with the poem (going to after this, lol) and i just love this piece, so may be a question of habit

[MikeyRGuitar]

two kinds of people in this world, those who love philip glass and those who don't

[spriuhel]

beautiful play!

[2ManyNoobs]

I don't know much about piano as an instrument but this didn't sound good at all to me.

the piece is very beautiful but the sound was too much, too full, no clarity.. too bad

[jesusfish305]

Her name is Philip?

[linceed87]

@jesusfish305 oh my god...

[wooty1235]

@jesusfish305 No the Composer of this piece is Philip Glass. this woman is the performer.

[NERDFREAKINGPOWER]

gah!! too much pedal!!!!!!!

[EarthquakeMachine]

@NERDFREAKINGPOWER ok einstein

[fyllardpol]

great! I recommend you polish minimal musician Filip Podstawski

[DechenPalmo]

oh its easy to mess up with glass:))) i spoke with a professional musician and he said its a pure hell to play glass..but it is worth it!

[m8nirvana8m]

she messes it up at about 3 40, and she notices it too. not that smooth or professional, if this is better than glass then glass must be poor

[thewho30rb]

@m8nirvana8m

What Rhaptapsody was referring to is that many people prefer the emotional edge that Branka puts into her music. When Philip Glass plays it, it tends to have a different feel than Branka's version, his is usually more chaotic, quicker, and choppier. Branka tends to play it more methodically and in a hypnotic, relaxed manner which lends itself well to the minimalist style. It's a matter of taste really, as Glass often intended his music to be chaotic.

[Rhaptapsody]

She plays it so much better than Glass himself.

[buddyacesisrael1]

............wow this is amazing and glass is coming to my city?!?! i have to get tickets

[WH093]

yo that is fucking amazing.

[JoelMarler]

What a mean chord sequence!

[jimdeitzel]

I love this song but I don't think it's played very well. Honestly.

[ejane4]

this is awesome.................

[tritoulis]

Is there a CD with Philip Glass'es songs performed by this lady? What's the title of it? I'm trying to find Metamorphosis as well, but havent found anything yet.

[Stunt2one]

There's one with exactly that name... ;)

[Talula101]

@tritoulis

Solo Piano

Philip Glass

[juan6273]

Glass solo en piano es sublime

[Stunt2one]

¿"Sólo en piano" o "en piano solo"?

No es lo mismo... =P

Se entiende de todos modos ;)

Saludos!

[silverstartrucker]

I just love the music of Philip Glass...This lady is such a good pianist...

[antiapa6]

So good!!!

Congratulations

[freedomfields]

Amazing.

[Offin]

just seen it live in Prague, performed by Glass himself. Great, marvelous experience

[brazzbazz]

it sounds like an song from Tim Burtons movies ^^

or danny elfman

[brazzbazz]

yeah ^^

[ArthurEricBlair]

...no it doesnt.

[notengoidea]

beautiful

[fryBASS]

It's Wichita Sutra Vortex

[stevepolta]

No Sir. Wichita Vortex Sutra is the correct title. This music was written for Allen Ginsberg's poem of the same name.

[fryBASS]

Then why on the solo piano album, the track name is Wichita Sutra Vortex?

[stevepolta]

I stand corrected sir.

the poem for which this music is written is called WICHITA VORTEX SUTRA.

But I was wrong about the music.

[paulatwe]

Most likely a misprint. Phlip Glass' home page names this composition 'Wichita Vortex Sutra'

It does say 'Wichita Sutra Vortex' indeed on that album. The description of its history, however, should tell you that it is composed in cooperation with Allen Ginsberg, many of whose poems are called 'sutra's'.

[DrFrohman]

@stevepolta Well actually, the title of the song is Wichita Sutra Vortex (according to the liner notes, anyway). The title of the poem is Wichita Vortex Sutra. I think Glass and Ginsberg switched around the name to distinguish the two from each other. 

[songbirdshe]

!WOW! ...(takes my breath away)...so very beautiful*....and she plays the piano so very well indeed ^_^

[itsyourcall]

i wonder if branka is a sweet lady sharing cookies to everyone after the performance, cookies she baked! herself!! :) or if she's from the old school, a feared matron..

[Williametched]

A bit of both, :D

[chriswales19]

Branka Parlic plays Glass like I have never heard him played before. My gosh what a wonderful performer ! Many thanks for sharing !

[rasdraws]

modernquartet, just a plain and sincere thankyou. My kind of music

[sharkyleroux]

This piece was inspired by a Ginsberg poem of the same name. Once upon a time, Glass and Ginsberg would perform this together. I found the audio of their collaboration available on limewire, but havn't found any video. Anyone?

[EinSofVirtuoso]

This is great music. A great backdrop when in need of inspiration.

[missannalawrence]

glass' piano works, i have found, can be physically very difficult to play. one has to have incredible technique or else you will end up hurting yourself. for example, the arpeggios she starts at 3:30. it takes stamina and great technique to not strain yourself through that passage (and those are everywhere in the metamorphosis)

[V1adimirr]

its funny but so true...

[Xtra999]

I think even note reading can be difficult because of the subtle changes you may oversee if you don't take care.

[musicdivinemusic]

And with all those difficulties, the physical difficulty of playing those repetitions and even the difficulty of reading the score with such minute changes, Branka Parlik manages to play not only with accuracy but also with expression and emotion. Great job, great music.

[Risingson2]

So now we are judging every piece of music for its difficulty to play it?

[MColivejuice]

i just ordered the music..THIS LOOKS FUN@!! she does a great interpretation and the punchy piano serves glass's piece nicely.

[dormetheus]

this is named after Ginsberg's poem? Or did ginsberg write this piece?

[ottoskidoo]

after ginsberg. they did pieces together.

[BrahmsConcerto]

and with branka's amazing talent i dont think her readin from sheetmusic would be at all worse than her playing from memory. in fact, often people do that because it is customary or to show superiority. but she is just incredible, playing the most complex music of our day.

[ommadawn4]

this music is neither complicated nor hard to play (which doesn't mean it is bad)

[BrahmsConcerto]

i disagree a friend of mine says that modern music is difficult in a sense that it is counterintuitive. And i did not say it was complicted, i said it was complex, in form and meaning if u have listened to the poem. true, its not as if she is playing liszt, but all the same my original point stands that playing from memory is not a problem in the slightest.

[fishhead06]

Well, just remarkable. It does indeed evoke Wichita, vortices, and sutras. I didn't think that was possible.

[koelschejung1964]

branka parlic makes it look wonderfully simple. i am not a pianist, but know enough to say, that a true master makes virtuosity look simple. for a me a brilliant performance of a great piece of truly modern music.

[redfish71]

What bothers me a bit is that this woman is not able to play these songs without looking at the notes. That's just kinda stupid. They don't seem that difficult to play to me, maybe even too easy because it's mostly repetitive.

[isherwood]

In almost all performances that aren't concertos, the pianist will read from the score, most often merely as an aide-memoire. It is completely in accordance with standard concert practice around the world. In pieces such as these, the repetition is actually an impediment to playing from memory.

[marlonclaus]

Please dont post you're comments unless you know what you are talking about. Its is normal and actually better to be able to read from the script what you are playing, than just playing it from you're head and looking at you're fingers.

[philanthropist25]

Looking at your fingers? lol, that really sounds like a big problem for a professional...

[tobiasjag]

Please, this piece is beautiful, but is very easy indeed. And only not having the capacity of playing withou reading in minute 3.08 and in the repitition she makes some mistakes. In first day I saw this sheet, by the end of it I was playing better than seh does.

[wingzbc]

Oh wow. Please post your video for us :P

[luce800]

esatto

[masterjrn]

ironic, i didn't know that till just now, about five minutes before i read the last post. Read this article to find out more about the ginsberg poem. For those that have only listened to this on Solo Piano, and not on Hydrogen Jukebox, you're missing out on the true depth that is this anthem, as i was.

[Krexel]

Great song - it is based on the works of Allen Ginsberg.

[tomqelectronica]

Beautifull phills my hero and i think i now have another one xxxxx

[Terrorazer]

Amazing. Graceful. Astonishing. Beautiful.

[eykatz]

Very Good Interpretation!

Very Different from the original

Most of the videos from this concert are more close to the original

This one is very different and very impressive

[fennerman]

beautiful, absolutly fantastic. Philip glass manages to create that mysterious beautiful atmosphere, and you of course, loved the interpretation.

[betamax88]

Amazing!

Thanks for all the videos.