The Perfect American (2011, based on the book about Walt Disney by Peter Stephan Jungk, premiered at the Teatro Real, Madrid, on January 22, 2013) The final movement “Closing” repeats the same themes heard toward the beginning, but here in a softer tone and with closer harmonies, offering up a sort of reverence for what has been played immediately before it. It’s a thematically fitting send-off for Glassworks, so influential would it be for the many to follow in Glass’s footsteps, from popular movie scores from the likes of Hans Zimmer sought to transmute similar emotions across a screen, or the minimalist work of Brian Eno. In their own idiosyncratic sound, these artists each return to the basics that Glass set forward, across all of his work, yes, but particularly and most thesis-like with Glassworks. That was gambit proved successful for Glass is almost incidental to its legacy, but successful it was, bringing him immense popularity and funding for further work that would continue to inspire a generation of artists. An era of minimalism was conceived of and defined by Glassworks, a record that set one of the most enduring standards of recent musical history.

Vera, Liber (May 29, 2021). "Circus Days and Nights". British Theatre Guide . Retrieved November 6, 2021. Songs from Liquid Days for voices and ensemble (texts by Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, David Byrne and Laurie Anderson, 1985) Formally it consists of three groups of four measure phrases of three to four chords repeated four times each, ABC:

Showcasing the truly diverse nature of Philip Glass’ musical output since the 1960s, the Most Popular Works chart features a concerto (Violin Concerto No 1), a symphony (Symphony No 3) and two string quartets (No 2 and No 3). Entirely versatile in his composing approach and delivery, Philip Glass has composed multiple operas including the acclaimed Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and Akhnaten, chamber operas and musical theatre works, symphonies, concertos, string quartets, chamber music, and several film scores. Flute Concerto for flute and orchestra – transcription from Violin Concerto n. 1 (2017 arr. by James Strauss) Symphony No.1 (1992) was the first of Philip Glass’ David Bowie symphonies. Based on Bowie’s 1977 album Low, it featured a full orchestra, yet remained true to Glass’s minimalist and postmodernist style. Next was Symphony No.4 (1996) based on one of Bowie’s most famous albums, Heroes . This symphony was made up of six movements, each cleverly derived from a theme from the album. The Sound of a Voice for voices and chamber ensemble including a pipa (2003, libretto by David Henry Hwang) Orphée for voices and chamber orchestra (1991, after the film by Jean Cocteau and premiered in 1993)

When your oeuvre is primarily composed of operas, it’s easy to regard a short chamber piece as your most accessible work. This is the mentality that Philip Glass brought to composing Glassworks, his first major success and, to many, his magnum opus. Glass was no stranger to music of any genre, growing up in a family of musicians and eventually studying at Juilliard, but until that point he was fairly limited to theatrical spaces. Spending his days in ’60s Paris with a group of musicians and theater actors was certainly an incredible and influential resource to him at the time, but there’s a ceiling to the success (and income) that come from such an insular artistic community, and Glass wanted to reach more people with his work. As he continued to compose scores and operas across the 1970s, this potential tilt toward something more commercial (relatively speaking) remained at the fore of his mind. There’s no denying that his work was modern, but to get an average audience to listen to a 3-hour historical opera would need more than his particular flourishes to widen his appeal. After the premiere of Satyagraha in 1980, and with pay coming in for his work on Koyaanisqatsi, Glass set out to create a piece that could be “listened to through a Walkman.” The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five (1997, libretto by Doris Lessing, after her second novel from Canopus in Argos)To celebrate the 85th birthday of Philip Glass today (31 January 2022), PRS for Music has released two charts, revealing some of the prolific composer’s most popular works and film scores.

Wu, Chia-Ying (May 2009). The Aesthetics of Minimalistic Music and a Schenkerian-Oriented Analysis of the First Movement "Opening" of Philip Glass' Glassworks. Denton, Texas: UNT Digital Library . Retrieved December 23, 2015. The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down, Act V – The Rome Section (1983, with Robert Wilson, libretto by Robert Wilson and Maita di Niscemi, including texts by Seneca the Younger)

This movement has its origins in the film score Koyaanisqatsi, but was ultimately not used in the film; it is often performed as a work in its own right (ISWC T-010.461.089-0). [7] Schaefer, John (September 4, 2012). "Top 10 Essential Philip Glass Recordings". Q2 Music. WQXR . Retrieved March 9, 2016.

Passages for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra (1989, three movements arranged in 2001 by Dennis Russell Davies) Island" (2 flutes, 2 soprano saxophones, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, 2 horns, viola, violoncello, synthesizer) 7:39Glass loves a trilogy. First the portrait trilogy ( Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha and Akhnaten ) and then the David Bowie trilogy – a series of symphonies based on three Bowie albums known as the Berlin Trilogy . Glass combined instrumental pieces from these albums with his own compositions which resulted in a unique collaboration between pop and orchestral music… Suite from The Hours for piano, strings, harp and celeste (2002, arr. in 2003 by Michael Riesman of Glass's music for the film The Hours) The Trial (2014, for voices and chamber orchestra; libretto by Christopher Hampton, based on the novel by Franz Kafka) White Raven (1991, premiered as O Corvo Branco in 1998, with Robert Wilson, libretto by Luísa Costa Gomes) Monsters of Grace, chamber opera for the Philip Glass Ensemble (1998, with 3D digital footage directed by Robert Wilson, libretto from works of Jalaluddin Rumi)