DRIFT 2010 Presents; Philip Glass : An Evening of Chamber Music with Philip Glass, Wendy Sutter and Mick Rossi
”The first time the music you have composed, there is that astonishing moment when the idea that you carried in your heart and your mind comes back to you in the hands of a musician. It's almost impossible to remember what it was you imagined. The reality of the sound eclipses your experience. But then when you actually hear it, you're certainly in a different place. The experience of that is my God."
- Philip Glass
For contemporary music lovers and fans of the Oscar winning movie The Hours or the mesmerising, sound and vision creation Koyaanisqatsi, a date of the diary.
Composer and pianist extraordinaire Philip Glass will be performing a concert of Chamber Music with Wendy Sutter and Mick Rossi. Philip Glass has not performed in Edinburgh for 8 years and this rare occasion, presented by OH Productions, is the only concert with this programme in the United Kingdom.
Through his operas, (including “Einstein on the Beach,” and “Satyagraha,” ) symphonies, ensemble works, and collaborations with artists ranging from Robert Wilson and Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen to David Bowie, Glass has had an extraordinary impact upon international music and culture across all genres from rock, and pop, world music, to opera and dance. He is a unique composer to inspire an audience in the opera house, concert hall, dance stage, film soundtrack and popular music - simply beautiful, haunting and eloquent music to appeal to all ages and tastes.
The programme at the Usher Hall features part of his great solo piano cycles Metamorphosis and Etudes. He's joined by Wendy Sutter on cello and percussionist Mick Rossi to play music from Glassworks and Naqoyqatsi, the final film in the legendary Godfrey Reggio trilogy which began with Koyaanisqatsi. Its centrepiece is Songs and Poems, a new work for Wendy Sutter.
“Everything I play now is mine. But I don’t get bored, as I find that even if I’ve performed the work many times, I find new interpretations.”
During June, there are concerts featuring Glass’s work in Spoleto, Brussels, Munich, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork, Sydney and Tokyo, but it’s only three of these cities where the composer is performing live. Edinburgh should be truly honoured that Philip Glass is making this journey to Scotland, a rare musical treat indeed.
Tickets £30 / £32.50 / £35 Usher Hall