Glassworks (Expanded Edition)

Philip Glass, Michael Reisman & The Philip Glass Ensemble

Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2003-09-29
Explicitness: notExplicit
Country: USA
Track Count: 11

℗ 1982, 1987 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

Tracks

	Title	Artist	Time
1	Opening	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble & Michael Riesman	6:24
2	Floe	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, Linda Moss, Lois Martin, Julian Barber, Al Brown, Maureen Gallagher, Seymour Barab, John Abramowitz, Fred Zlotkin, Richard Peck, Jack Kripl, Jon Gibson, Sharon Moe & Larry Wechsler	5:59
3	Islands	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, Linda Moss, Lois Martin, Julian Barber, Al Brown, Maureen Gallagher, Seymour Barab, John Abramowitz, Fred Zlotkin, Richard Peck, Jack Kripl, Jon Gibson, Sharon Moe & Larry Wechsler	7:40
4	Rubric	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, Linda Moss, Lois Martin, Julian Barber, Al Brown, Maureen Gallagher, Seymour Barab, John Abramowitz, Fred Zlotkin, Richard Peck, Jack Kripl, Jon Gibson, Sharon Moe & Larry Wechsler	6:04
5	Facades	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, Linda Moss, Lois Martin, Julian Barber, Al Brown, Maureen Gallagher, Seymour Barab, John Abramowitz, Fred Zlotkin, Richard Peck, Jack Kripl, Jon Gibson, Sharon Moe & Larry Wechsler	7:21
6	Closing	Philip Glass, The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, Linda Moss, Lois Martin, Julian Barber, Al Brown, Maureen Gallagher, Seymour Barab, John Abramowitz, Fred Zlotkin, Richard Peck, Jack Kripl, Jon Gibson, Sharon Moe & Larry Wechsler	5:57
7	In the Upper Room: Dance I	Michael Riesman & The Philip Glass Ensemble	1:10
8	In the Upper Room: Dance II	Michael Riesman & The Philip Glass Ensemble	5:42
9	In the Upper Room: Dance V	Michael Riesman & The Philip Glass Ensemble	3:25
10	In the Upper Room: Dance VIII	Michael Riesman & The Philip Glass Ensemble	4:57
11	In the Upper Room: Dance IX	Michael Riesman & The Philip Glass Ensemble	8:10

Reviews

A lovely album to chill to.

5
By Moussorgsky1

I have just recently become a Glass fan, and I really like his work. I like it all-from his hardcore minimalism like Einstein on the Beach, to his more melodic minimalism, like Koyaanisqatsi or his Symphonies. I find that he has a talent for making people listen to the same lines over and over again with gradual changes. It's almost like he's hypnotizing the listener into enjoying this. Let me tell you, it has worked on me. Einstein on the Beach is his infamous 5 hour opera without a plot and is instead simple images and ideas set to very roughly minimalistic music. But, the opera on iTunes is 29.99 or 39.99 depending on which version you get. This disc is definitely different from Einstein, yet it still has his Philip Glass Ensemble doing the ostinatos like never before, and I find that this is a good substitute. All in all, I very much enjoy this album, and yes, it is a must for beginners of minimalism.
Excellent Music

5
By woody-MUC

I came to this, since Glassworks "Opening" is the soundtrack of an admired movie. Great Music and phantastic piano.
Great example of Glass' music

5
By bbgrimes

Those who enjoyed this CD should definitely listen to the Glass symphonies, the longer pieces give the composer a chance to fully develop his ideas and the result is quite dramatic music.
Perfect Example of Minimalism

4
By HyperghoulDeluxe

I own the original '82 copy of the (un-Expanded) version of Glassworks. Glass does a great job of using the minimalist style he helped develop in the 60's. Interesting instrumentation helps to move the patterns forward.
An Album for First-Time Glassians

5
By MrBuendia100

This is, by far, Glass' most accesable work, in that it is much easier for someone to wrap their head around. Other pieces (i.e. Music in Twelve Parts, Music with Changing Parts) are much denser and often require a higher level of patience present in only the most faithful Philip Glass fans. Basically: if you're just starting out with Philip Glass, start either here or with his film soundtracks (The Hours is great, and so is Koyaanisqatsi) and then move on to his heavier works.
Sounds nice, but...

3
By composer91

I generally like Philip Glass' music, and this CD is no exception. It sounds nice and is very abstract and seems to roil and churn constantly with numerous intertwining ostinato patterns. But I think a melodic line would be nice once in a while, just so the listener can have a more solid guide through the piece.
Glassworks

5
By DharmaLogos

I have the older version of this CD which only includes Glassworks but not In the Upper Room. I have only been listening to Philip Glass and minimalist music for a couple of months, but I have been completely blown away by the genre in general and Glass in particular. Glassworks is a true modern classical masterpiece. It has the repetitive Glass sound of works like Music in 12 Parts, but it is much more accessible. The Glassworks Opening has become one of my all-time favorite piano pieces, and although I am not a pianist (I am a guitarist though) it is one of the few piano pieces I would like to learn to play before I die. Floe is a very intense and rhythmic piece which will have you tapping your feet, bobbing your head, and throwing your fist in the air. If you are a rock fan who thinks classical music is boring, maybe this will change your mind. Island is flowing, relaxing, and airy sounding. The other three movements are just as good. Glass is an amazing composer.
Wow

5
By Jami Rae

Philip Glass is one of my favorite composers. My favorites off this album have to be 'Opening', 'Islands', 'Facades', 'Closing', and 'In the Upper Room: Dance Vlll'. His rhythms just mesmerize me and he can develop melodies that are sweet, yet haunting and sometimes mysterious, like 'Facades' and 'Islands'. His music can also be very dramatic, too. Philip Glass's music is unique yet distinctive, and that's the best part about it. In my opinion, he's one of the best and most creative modern day composer of our time. I would more than highly recommend this album.