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Glass Cage / Brubaker
Philip Glass, John Cage, Bruce Brubaker
Glass Cage / Brubaker
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

Though he may not be a piano superstar, Bruce Brubaker is clearly a musician to watch. On this recording of solo piano works by Philip Glass and John Cage, Brubaker somehow shifts between these two very different modernist...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Philip Glass, John Cage, Bruce Brubaker
Title: Glass Cage / Brubaker
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Arabesque Recordings
Original Release Date: 1/1/2000
Re-Release Date: 10/10/2000
Album Type: Import
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Classical
Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Short Forms, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830)
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 026724674426

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Though he may not be a piano superstar, Bruce Brubaker is clearly a musician to watch. On this recording of solo piano works by Philip Glass and John Cage, Brubaker somehow shifts between these two very different modernist composers to create a seamless disc of mesmerizing keyboard music. While Glass's own playing is often precise and austere, Brubaker is a different beast altogether. With him, we get a hint of Impressionism and a sense of contemplation with each note. The five parts of Metamorphosis are given shades of melancholy, along with frenzy; on the expansive "Mad Rush," Brubaker goes wild where he has to, but always returns to the piece's calming, sweet center. The piano music of John Cage is limited to just two cuts--"A Room" and "Dream"--but they, too, are hauntingly beautiful (especially the latter, longer piece). For anyone who has grown tired of Philip Glass's recent electronic keyboard forays or the ubiquitous prepared-piano CDs of John Cage, Glass Cage will sound like a fresh and sublime homecoming to two musical mavericks. Recommended. --Jason Verlinde
 

CD Reviews

Who said minimalism was not interpretable ?
aloni | Ramat Gun, Israel | 10/18/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I disliked Glass' piano music. The Solo Piano CD was dull, boring, unimaginative. Glass was hammering on the piano instead of playing (hey - this is a piano, not a Farfisa). This wonderful CD changes it all: Brubaker plays the Glass pieces with emotion & tenderness without loosing the accuracy of the pieces or running amok with wild interpretations (as was the case of the Italian pianist whose name skipped my mind. Arthuro something). Any Glass fan - buy this CD, close the lights, pour yourself a semi-strong drink, sit back and relax, hit play on the remote. The Cage pieces are nice (I have no acquaintance with other performances, so I can't really say anything else). Great job Brubaker - any plans for conducting?"
Recommended - with one caveat
scott mathews | santa clara, ca USA | 10/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very rewarding disc. The Glass/Cage compilation shares the same kind of mesmerizing, meditative continuity as I find on the ECM discs of Arvo Part. I had not been familiar with Bruce Brubaker before this performance. By all accounts, he acquits himself well. I do not own the Glass piano pieces by the composer, so I cannot compare the performances. However, Brubaker held my attention completely for the full 63 minutes. The Arabesque label has produced many fine, adventuresome discs in the past and this adds to the list. Here's hoping they continue programming music that's off the beaten path.My only caveat with this effort has to do with the recording. It seems, to my ears, rather closely miked. The first track jolted me a bit - if felt as if we were right on top of the piano. While your ears eventually adjust, I would have preferred a more distant perspective. I think this kind of minimalist music can benefit from a more distant recording perspecitve as it can add to the meditative quality. On the positive side, the recording is quite clean and crisp. Overall, I think listeners who are attracted to Cage, Glass, or Part will like what they hear."
Buy this cd!
baselnovo | San Francisco, CA USA | 01/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of most intensely beautiful performances of Philip Glass's work I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot). It's unbelievable to me that this recording isn't better known."