| All Artists: John [Composer] Adams, Philip Glass, Christoph Eschenbach, Houston Symphony Orchestra Title: Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass Members Wishing: 2 Total Copies: 0 Label: Telarc Release Date: 8/24/1999 Genre: Classical Styles: Forms & Genres, Concertos, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Strings, Symphonies Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 089408049422, 089408049422, 089408804946 |
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Search - John [Composer] Adams, Philip Glass, Christoph Eschenbach :: Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass
 | John [Composer] Adams, Philip Glass, Christoph Eschenbach Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass Genre: Classical Leave it to Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony to deliver one of the more impressive classical discs of 1999: a pairing of the violin concertos of John Adams and Philip Glass. Hearing the works of these two Amer... more » |
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Amazon.com Leave it to Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony to deliver one of the more impressive classical discs of 1999: a pairing of the violin concertos of John Adams and Philip Glass. Hearing the works of these two American music mavericks side-by-side is a study in contrasts: Adams's postmodernist composition from 1993 is filled with spooky overtones, as the violin threads its way through the piece, always at the forefront. It doubles as a ballet (the NYC Ballet cocommissioned the piece), yet never forgets the traditional violin-concerto form. Glass's composition from the late '80s is less complex. It, too, is based around a traditional structure of three movements, but these are passages we've heard from the composer for the last decade, though never quite so well assembled. Gidon Kremer has recorded two earlier discs featuring both the Adams and Glass concertos, but the sonics (especially on his Glass disc) are less impressive than they are here. Robert McDuffie's violin isn't as piercing as Kremer's--a shame during the eerily gorgeous second movement of Adams's piece--but there's a pleasant balance to this new disc, and the Houston Symphony sounds fantastic. All in all, it's a great package of two contemporary classical-music compositions everyone should hear. --Jason Verlinde Similar CDs
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CD ReviewsAdams and Glass at their best Todd Ebert | Long Beach California | 03/18/2005 (5 out of 5 stars) "Give me music that has creativity, virtuosity, originality, and passion, and I will promise to listen, regardless of how someone decides to label the music (including my above labels). Both of these violin concertos possess all of the above, and for someone who has always had problems appreciating the violin concerto, I find myself listening to this recording quite often. I tend to view Glass's works as seeming rather dark, brooding, and subjective/emotional. So it makes alot of sense that his music would work well within the context of a violin concerto where the soloist can step in an interpret this subjective world through his playing. And Adams' concerto seems just as interesting if not more sublime. I found the second movement both haunting and beautiful at the same time. In total I find this to be a wonderful CD, and am glad I took the risk of buying something I knew almost nothing about. Indeed, it is quite rare for me to hear either Adams or Glass even on a classical music station. Too bad because their music speaks more of the world we live in today, which is one reason why humanity at any given time chooses to listen to music in the first place." Awesome!!!!! Two Minimalist Violin Concertos at Once!!! Shota Hanai | Torrance, CA | 07/16/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "The violin has been the most popular instrument featured in concertos through ages. The traditional concertos such as those by Vivaldi and Bach are often played by many striving young violinists... ever toward the point of vexation; Mendelssohn's violin concerto is one work I detest (yet I still adore Tchaikovsky's). This soon brought me to take a sip on something more contemporary and less common.
Around the same time, I began to fall in love with Minimalism. I find it teeming with restless energy, fascinating as any other art movement, and good to one's ears... not to mention great for driving. Minimalist music spoke through music polyphonic and homophonic, through differnet genres including symphonies, operas, and of course concertos. I first heard John Adams' Violin Concerto at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and immediately loved it. The second movement is quite dreamy, with a synthesizer playing the low notes, while the third movement is obviously the show piece for the soloist. I know I have to own it someday. Curiosity on Philip Glass' music led me to by the Naxos recording of the Violin Concerto. After finding the soloist a bit bland, however, I soon decided to buy this album. The soloist in the album was much more expressive than the one in the Naxos recording, especially in the virtuosic, arpeggiation-filled third movement. Each composer has its own Minimalist style - while Glass's music features simple harmonies and arpeggiations, Adam's music is like jumping through one treadmill to another, staying on one spot for a while before moving on to the next." |
