Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Víkingur Ólafsson: Philip Glass – Piano Works

3

Víkingur Ólafsson: Philip Glass – Piano Works

By

Sign in to view read count
Víkingur Ólafsson: Philip Glass – Piano Works
Captain Obvious once said, "The appeal of Philip Glass' music is its simplicity." The minimalist school, which includes Glass, as well as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, produces music that uses limited or minimal musical materials, or as defined by composer Tom Johnson, as ..."any music that works with limited or minimal materials: pieces that use only a few notes, pieces that use only a few words of text, or pieces written for very limited instruments, such as antique cymbals, bicycle wheels, or whiskey glasses." The results of this approach are highly accessible and enjoyable music characterized by repeating motifs express with differing dynamics (tempos, volumes, momentums).

Minimalism ceased being a "loft music" long ago. Glass' piano music has been the subject of several notable surveys, including: Jeroen Van Veen's clinically rendered Philip Glass-Solo-Piano Music (Brilliant Classics, 2013); Nicolas Horvath's expansive Glassworlds (Grand Piano, Five Volumes) and the composer's own recordings (Solo Piano (Sony Classical, 1989). Enough of Glass' piano music has been recorded that performances can ably be contrasted and compared.

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson recently participated in a performance of Glass' complete set of 20 Études presented by four other pianists, including the composer himself. According to Pwyll ap Siôn in Gramophone, "Ólafsson's performances stood out for their rare combination of sheer technical brilliance, expressive control and interpretative depth," a surveillance I can only echo if Ólafsson's Philip Glass—Piano Works is any indication. Ólafsson's performances of selected etudes and the opening of "Glassworks" are crystalline and pristine. The pianist readily draws from Glass' spare scores faint whispers of piano history. "Étude No. 9" sports light notes of Scarlatti and Satie while "Étude No. 14" could have been performed by George Gershwin by this hearing. The latter tuneful, with urgent momentum is a revealing hearing of how Glass can as opposed to how he often does sound.

Ólafsson mixes things up by including the Siggi String Quartet on versions of "Glassworks -Opening," and Études Nos. 2 and 5 as reimagined by Christian Badzura. Badzura's arrangements and inclusion of the strings deepens the loam of emotion of the pieces without violating their minimalist bona fides. The effect is quite stunning. Étude Nos. 9 gets a look from Canadian electronica artist CFCF (Michael Silver) that opens additional doors to the consideration of Glass' music.

Track Listing

Opening from ‘Glassworks'; Etude No. 9; Etude No. 2; Piano Etude No. 6; Piano Etude No. 5; Etude No. 14; Etude No. 2 reworked by Christian Badzura; Etude No. 13; Etude No. 15; Etude No. 3; Piano Etude No. 18; Piano Etude No. 20; Opening from ‘Glassworks’ reworked by Christian Badzura; Etude No. 9 reworked by CFCF.

Personnel

Víkingur Ólafsson: piano

Album information

Title: Philip Glass – Piano Works | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Deutsche Grammophon

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.