RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Philip GLASS (b.1937)
Suite from The Hours (arr. Riesman) [24:10]
Symphony No. 3 [24:28]
Michael Riesman (piano) (Hours)
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra/Anne Manson
rec. live, 17 September 2011, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto
ORANGE MOUNTAIN MUSIC OMM 0086 [48:38]
This fantastic new Philip Glass album features two of the composer’s
best
instrumental scores. The soundtrack to The Hours has here been
arranged
by pianist Michael Riesman into a piano concerto, with brief orchestral
introduction
and outer movements which build to climaxes of real emotional power. As a
concerto,
it’s terrific, something any fan of minimalism should appreciate.
There
is a sense of dramatic momentum which is remarkable given that the piece was
originally
incidental music to a film. One shouldn’t be surprised by
Riesman’s
authenticity as an arranger or effectiveness as a pianist: he has arranged
for
Glass many times in the past, joined the Philip Glass Ensemble in 1974, and
produced
the original soundtrack to The Hours.
The Symphony No. 3 has now received three major recordings, and it
fully deserves the attention. The first movement makes an enigmatic
introduction, but the real genius lies in the work’s second half.
Before a finale which absolutely screams James Bond thriller music we have a
ten-minute slow movement of staggering beauty. It’s a black pearl,
which I’ve sometimes referred to as Pachelbel’s
Canon’s evil twin or spiritual opposite. From a beginning of a
few repeated chords for violas and cellos, Glass adds new ideas in careful
layers: underpinning double bass and then one violin, two violins, all the
violins blooming together in slow motion. This is one of my favorite moments
from any living composers. If all the music Philip Glass ever wrote was in a
burning building and I could only save one thing, I would instinctively
reach for the slow movement of the Third Symphony.
As I said, the symphony’s now appeared on three discs;
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra with Dennis Russell Davies, Bournemouth Symphony
with Marin Alsop, and this one. In some ways the Manitoba Chamber
Orchestra’s performance is the one to get: it’s more sharply
etched than Bournemouth/Alsop, more closely miked and with a properly-sized
chamber orchestra that brings every line into close focus. Anne Manson
conducts like an expert. Russell Davies is the other chamber orchestra
recording, and its first movement is more pointed and assertive, but it
pretty clearly cedes to this newcomer in the two last parts, which are also
my two favorites: the sharp detailing of the new recording really pays off,
as does the strong drive Manson brings to the finale.
Only after I’d listened several times did I realize this was a
live concert broadcast. Now my hat is off to the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra,
truly an unlikely ensemble to play this music so incredibly well, and I have
to give this the highest possible praise. This is now an essential part of
my Philip Glass collection. This is the kind of album that can win converts
over to a great composer.
Brian Reinhart
An essential part of my Glass collection and an obvious choice for those who don’t know Glass well.
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