Philip Glass in a performance of Etudes and Other Work for Solo Piano

rough his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen to David Bowie, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times.
Glass’ performance at the Napa Valley Opera House will consist of original music composed for solo piano as well as a number of arrangements for organ or instrumental combinations.  All the music comes from the period dating from 1976 to the present and will include a selection of the following works:

Six Etudes (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 9,10) (1994-1999)
These etudes are part of an evening length work of 16 etudes for piano completed in 1999. Each etude approaches the piano in a somewhat different way, producing a highly diverse set of pieces.

Mad Rush (1980)
This piece was commissioned by Radio Bremen and originally composed for organ.  Lucinda Childs choreographed a solo dance to this piece shortly after its premiere.

The Napa Trilogy: Night on the Balcony, Metamorphosis (No. 5), Closing (1981-1991)

Dreaming Awake (2006)
Originally written as a gift for a Tibetan studies center in New York City and later performed as a work for dance by choreographer Molissa Fenley.

Wichita Vortex Sutra (1990)
Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass first collaborated on Hydrogen Jukebox, which had its world premiere at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina in 1990.  The chamber opera included Wichita Vortex Sutra (1966), Ginsberg’s poetic reflection of the anti-war mood of the 1960s.