The Hallé Presents Philip Glass: Glassworks at the RNCM
Creative Tourist
A three-day celebration of living legend Philip Glass takes place in Manchester this February, courtesy of the Hallé and the RNCM. Sandwiched right in the middle of the festival is this lunchtime concert at the RNCM, featuring Glass’s most-loved composition: Glassworks.
It was written in 1981 with a very specific function in mind: to introduce Glass’s music to a wider audience. Intending it to be – aptly, for the decade – ‘Walkman-suitable’, he released both an LP and a tape cassette of the piece. Each had its own separate mix: the LP was intended for home listening and the cassette – with a headphone-specific mix – was intended for personal tape players.
Glassworks more than met the composer’s own brief, becoming an instant global success. A six-work chamber piece, it’s wonderfully rich and varied in its rhythms and textures, using members of all instrument families to create a shimmering, anthemic sound.
A bonus in this concert comes in the form of Aguas da Amazonia, first written in 1993 for experimental Brazilian group Uakti and their handmade instruments.
