Philip Glass

Started by Henk, June 01, 2008, 12:25:41 PM

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Rinaldo

Anybody here familiar with The Making of the Representative for Planet 8? I've just recently learned about the existence of this opera and its topic sounds intriguing. It was never oficially recorded but presumably, there exists a bootleg recording taped from the radio broadcast – here's a (rather hilarious, this guy is priceless) proof!

If anyone could shed more light on this enigmatic work (or provide a hint on where to obtain it), I would be most grateful.

snyprrr

Philip Glass :o??? :o

I'mmm...mmmelting!!!!!

Guido

Echorus: Glass' greatest work? Surely his most moving and lovely.
Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

Mirror Image

Composers like Philip Glass really should stop composing. At this juncture, he's merely a parody of himself.

Israfel the Black

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 24, 2011, 09:44:05 AM
Composers like Philip Glass really should stop composing. At this juncture, he's merely a parody of himself.

This strikes me as a bit uninformed. Each year he sounds less and less like "himself." His sound as a composer has changed considerably, for better or for worse. Maybe for worse, but not in the sense that would qualify the claim that he's parodying his own work and image, since he's distanced himself from a lot of the minimalist schtick for which he's been so famously caricatured as embodying.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 09:57:35 AM
This strikes me as a bit uninformed. Each year he sounds less and less like "himself." His sound as a composer has changed considerably, for better or for worse. Maybe for worse, but not in the sense that would qualify the claim that he's parodying his own work and image, since he's distanced himself from a lot of the minimalist schtick for which he's been so famously caricatured as embodying.

:D

My opinion isn't uninformed perhaps you simply can't accept that my opinion is different than yours?

Israfel the Black

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 10:56:30 AM
:D

My opinion isn't uninformed perhaps you simply can't accept that my opinion is different than yours?

I can certainty accept an opinion different from my own, but it takes good reasoning for it to be any kind of opinion that one might respect. It's not clear how you intend to justify the claim that Glass is merely "parodying" himself these days, especially in light of the fact that he has distanced himself from his earlier stylings. In this case, the dispute isn't a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact.

Mirror Image

#47
Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 11:24:21 AM
I can certainty accept an opinion different from my own, but it takes good reasoning for it to be any kind of opinion that one might respect. It's not clear how you intend to justify the claim that Glass is merely "parodying" himself these days, especially in light of the fact that he has distanced himself from his earlier stylings. In this case, the dispute isn't a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact.

It really doesn't matter what I say, you'll continue to defend Glass no matter what anyone else says, right?

Israfel the Black

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 12:18:14 PM
It really doesn't matter what I say, you'll continue to defend Glass no matter what anyone else says, right?

Nope. If you want to say, "Glass sucks" or "I hate Glass" you're perfectly entitled, and I couldn't be bothered. But, indeed, if I feel so inclined, I'll defend him against claims I take to be flatly unwarranted and without any basis, or those that are just plain silly. To say Glass needs to retire and that he's a self-parody occurs to me as falling more into the latter category, at least ostensibly. Some matters aren't mere gut-reaction, but pretend to have a basis in fact and reason. I am more interested in those claims.

Mirror Image

#49
Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 04:25:53 PM
Nope. If you want to say, "Glass sucks" or "I hate Glass" you're perfectly entitled, and I couldn't be bothered. But, indeed, if I feel so inclined, I'll defend him against claims I take to be flatly unwarranted and without any basis, or those that are just plain silly. To say Glass needs to retire and that he's a self-parody occurs to me as falling more into the latter category, at least ostensibly. Some matters aren't mere gut-reaction, but pretend to have a basis in fact and reason. I am more interested in those claims.

Like I said, it wouldn't matter what negative thing I said about Glass, you'll be right there defending him to the end just like you've done in the above quote, which, for those who are observant, will say is a defensive statement made to look objective or reasonable. In other words, you've masked the true intent of your comment with a statement that is deceptive.

If you like a composer, then it shouldn't matter to you what others think about him. Glass is a hack and always will be in my opinion.

AllegroVivace

Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 04:25:53 PM
Nope. If you want to say, "Glass sucks" or "I hate Glass" you're perfectly entitled, and I couldn't be bothered. But, indeed, if I feel so inclined, I'll defend him against claims I take to be flatly unwarranted and without any basis, or those that are just plain silly. To say Glass needs to retire and that he's a self-parody occurs to me as falling more into the latter category, at least ostensibly. Some matters aren't mere gut-reaction, but pretend to have a basis in fact and reason. I am more interested in those claims.

It doesn't really take an intimate knowledge of all of Glass's works to know that he indeed does indulge excessively on a few of his own stylistic characteristics.  I happen to like Glass's music a lot. Some of his compositions (Symphony No. 8, 4, Violin Concerto) are among my favorite contemporary works. But I wouldn't hesitate saying that Glass repeats himself too much, often to the point of ridiculing himself in the most childish way.
Richard

Israfel the Black

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 04:29:44 PM
Like I said, it wouldn't matter what negative thing I said about Glass, you'll be right there defending him to the end just like you've done in the above quote, which, for those who are observant, will say is a defensive statement made to look objective or reasonable. In other words, you've masked the true intent of your comment with a statement that is deceptive.

My last response is not evidence for a defense. You asked me whether I would defend him "come what may" and I set out some conditions under which I would and wouldn't. I feel now as though it were a trap and it didn't really matter what I thought after all! The mistake here is you assume my presence in this thread must necessarily mean I'm an ardent Glass supporter, defending him against any and all negative claims simply because I found your initial comment a bit hyperbolic and unsubstantiated. But this is simply jumping to a hasty conclusion on your part. There's nothing in what I said that should really warrant such a strong assumption. I like some work by Glass, but I am as quick to criticize him as I am to defend him.

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 04:29:44 PMIf you like a composer, then it shouldn't matter to you what others think about him. Glass is a hack and always will be in my opinion.

But as I said, some opinions are grounded in truth and have a basis to challenge. Whether or not you "like" Glass isn't necessarily a concern. For example, you can say President Obama is a self-parodying hack and should retire, and if I were to say, "What's your reasoning?" it would be improper to say, "I can say whatever I want about Obama because I hate Obama and that's that." It doesn't follow. Perhaps you think this is all smoke and mirrors of an argument claiming objectivity and amounts to nothing more than an unqualified defense of Glass, and that's fine, but I am confident that there's a meaningful distinction here, and given the above, I am clearly not defending him "no matter what" you say.

Israfel the Black

Quote from: AllegroVivace on July 25, 2011, 04:49:37 PM
It doesn't really take an intimate knowledge of all of Glass's works to know that he indeed does indulge excessively on a few of his own stylistic characteristics.  I happen to like Glass's music a lot. Some of his compositions (Symphony No. 8, 4, Violin Concerto) are among my favorite contemporary works. But I wouldn't hesitate saying that Glass repeats himself too much, often to the point of ridiculing himself in the most childish way.

This is a mostly fair point, but if it's the only point here, then as much could've been said about any single piece of Glass' alone. I took the initial point to be addressing his overall career or oeuvre. And if you look at his whole career, Glass has produce some marvelous pieces even in his later years. As you say, you favor one of his later works (Symphony No. 8,). But if we are to heed Mirror Image's suggestion, Glass should've retired because he's nothing more than a parody of himself. I don't think that's right. I think it's better to say that he has excessive indulgences, and that hurts him as a composer, but he has done some interesting things in his later career to distance himself from some of his earlier stylings, even if it remains present.

AllegroVivace

Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 05:00:28 PM
This is a mostly fair point, but if it's the only point here, then as much could've been said about any single piece of Glass' alone. I took the initial point to be addressing his overall career or oeuvre. And if you look at his whole career, Glass has produce some marvelous pieces even in his later years. As you say, you favor one of his later works (Symphony No. 8,). But if we are to heed Mirror Image's suggestion, Glass should've retired because he's nothing more than a parody of himself. I don't think that's right. I think it's better to say that he has excessive indulgences, and that hurts him as a composer, but he has done some interesting things in his later career to distance himself from some of his earlier stylings, even if it remains present.

No, I can't agree with Mirror Image on Glass's early retirement. I couldn't be without his Symphony No. 8. On the other hand, I couldn't sit through his recent documentary (it's on Netflix). He goes on and on about some quasi-religious white noise that's absolutely impossible to watch if you have any regard for science and intellectual honesty. So, maybe he can retire from public speaking.

Richard

Mirror Image

#54
Quote from: Israfel the Black on July 25, 2011, 04:55:15 PM
My last response is not evidence for a defense. You asked me whether I would defend him "come what may" and I set out some conditions under which I would and wouldn't. I feel now as though it were a trap and it didn't really matter what I thought after all! The mistake here is you assume my presence in this thread must necessarily mean I'm an ardent Glass supporter, defending him against any and all negative claims simply because I found your initial comment a bit hyperbolic and unsubstantiated. But this is simply jumping to a hasty conclusion on your part. There's nothing in what I said that should really warrant such a strong assumption. I like some work by Glass, but I am as quick to criticize him as I am to defend him.

But as I said, some opinions are grounded in truth and have a basis to challenge. Whether or not you "like" Glass isn't necessarily a concern. For example, you can say President Obama is a self-parodying hack and should retire, and if I were to say, "What's your reasoning?" it would be improper to say, "I can say whatever I want about Obama because I hate Obama and that's that." It doesn't follow. Perhaps you think this is all smoke and mirrors of an argument claiming objectivity and amounts to nothing more than an unqualified defense of Glass, and that's fine, but I am confident that there's a meaningful distinction here, and given the above, I am clearly not defending him "no matter what" you say.

The bottomline is very simple: I don't like Glass and you like (some) of his music. Whether you agree with my opinion or not isn't going to change the outcome is it? Is there a work by Glass that you feel I should hear? A work that will change my opinion? Because I've heard music from Einstein on the Beach to his Symphony No. 3. I haven't been keeping up with what he has been doing lately because I have a feeling of what I'll be getting: go nowhere, undramatic, unemotional, repetition for it's own sake, and the same basic approach to rhythm he's had for years.

Can you alter my opinion? Can you suggest a work that will make my jaw drop? Everything I've heard from the man has proven to be a waste of time as he, which has been mentioned already, relies too heavily on the eccentricities of his own style in order to make some kind of "artistic" statement, but the reality is he's, again, only parodying himself now.

Minimalism is a dead-end street I think. Adams, Andriessen, Reich, Part, etc. have all exhausted their styles. What had to be done is for them to find new avenues, which they all have successfully been able to do except for Reich who hasn't done anything really interesting since Music for 18 Musicians.

AllegroVivace

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 05:13:16 PM
Is there a work by Glass that you feel I should hear? A work that will change my opinion?

If I may, I'd like to suggest you listen to his Symphony No. 8. The works you said you've already heard are lame to me as well, and I wouldn't give Glass the light of day if that's all he'd composed.
Richard

Mirror Image

Quote from: AllegroVivace on July 25, 2011, 05:18:03 PM
If I may, I'd like to suggest you listen to his Symphony No. 8. The works you said you've already heard are lame to me as well, and I wouldn't give Glass the light of day if that's all he'd composed.

Thanks I'll try his Symphony No. 8.

AllegroVivace

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 25, 2011, 05:29:32 PM
Thanks I'll try his Symphony No. 8.

If that doesn't resonate, I guarantee the second movement of his violin concerto will mean something to you.
Richard

Mirror Image

Quote from: AllegroVivace on July 25, 2011, 05:33:02 PM
If that doesn't resonate, I guarantee the second movement of his violin concerto will mean something to you.

Yes, I've heard good things about his Violin Concerto. I'll check these out.

eyeresist

Yes, get the Naxos disc of the violin concerto. I'm not a great Glass fan, but it's a fine disc.