Akhnaten - Philip Glass

Advantages: Magical music of a hypnotic beauty
Disadvantages: To the unconverted, can seem repetitive

...I first encountered Akhnaten in 1985 when a good friend, earning money as a student by selling programmes for English National Opera, phoned out of the blue offering me two free tickets for this opera. My first impulse was to decline. Firstly on the grounds that, much as I enjoyed what I had heard of Philip Glass' music, I was not much of an opera lover. I can listen to Mozart operas because - well, because they're by Mozart. I can take the occasional bit of Puccini and even enjoy the whole of Tosca. But in general I don't care for opera. I can't stand screeching sopranos and the thought of sitting through several hours of a modern opera is usually enough to move me to desperate measures in order to avoid it, such as cutting both legs off - either my own or someone else's, I'm not particular. Secondly, we didn't even live... Read review

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Advantages: Music to take you beyond this world
Disadvantages: Needs a bit of patience

...enjoy both, too? ******Floon’s Crusade…****** So to that end I’m going to write a series of ops about music, particularly music that is considered “difficult” because of the label stuck on it. It will not always be classical but will always be a minority taste – like the Philip Glass opera Akhnaten for which op I proudly sport a diamond (This pleased my small mind, not because of the diamond as such but because I managed to reach out with my passion for music and hopefully persuade the uncommitted and, with luck open-minded, to discover something they may otherwise have never encountered). I have been swept away at times by the passionate advocacy of fellow Ciao members for their own enthusiasms: if I mention a few I hope others are not offended! Silverback’s writings about his favourite music albums, Jillmurphy on books, Schmutzie... Read review

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Advantages: As elegant an introduction to Glass' music as it is a source of joy to the inititated
Disadvantages: None to this enthralled listener

...Recorded in 1982, for a series of six CDs for CBS, Glassworks is a Philip Glass primer. It's not a compilation, more of an introduction to the master minimalist. To quote Glass directly "Glassworks was intended to introduce my music to a more general audience than had been familiar with it up to then". And indeed it does. It represents one of his most accessible works, as well as being one of his most haunting and most beautiful. For those less conversant with Philip Glass, he has been 'lumped' into the Minimalist bracket, along with other modern composer such as Steve Reich, Terry Reilly and to a lesser extent John Adams. In general Glass is the most successful and probably the least respected. The origins in this seem to be both his prolific output, his consistency of quality as well as his trademark rhythmical repetitions... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful