Glass Symphonie Nos 2 & 3
Nothing shattering about these Glass works, but they’re strongly played
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Philip Glass
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: Naxos
Magazine Review Date: 12/2004
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 67
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: 8 559202

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Symphony No. 2 |
Philip Glass, Composer
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Marin Alsop, Conductor Philip Glass, Composer |
Symphony No. 3 |
Philip Glass, Composer
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Marin Alsop, Conductor Philip Glass, Composer |
Author: bwitherden
‘There’s one piece by Philip Glass that I really like.’‘Which one?’‘Any one.’Old joke. Awfully droll, eh? And, for a reviewer, not far from the truth if you substitute ‘recommend’ for ‘really like’. If you’ve already got some Glass CDs isn’t this more of the same? And if you haven’t, why buy this one in particular? Beats me, guv.
The Third Symphony, for strings only, contains some of Glass’s most gentle, subtle textures, as well as the usual trademarks: scales running up, scales running down, chugging chords, spiralling melodies, jabbing chords, throbbing bass-lines. Apparently designed to treat every musician as a soloist, its potency derives from the textural weight of the different string groupings and their lively interaction, not radically different from the riffing techniques of pre-Second World War ‘territory’ jazz bands. The second movement, a scherzoid kind of perpetuum mobile, seems neurotic not because there is no tonal centre but because the music constantly wanders around that centre without ever settling on it. The third contains some beautiful if basic counterpoint. The edgy power of the finale prompts stunning playing from the Bournemouth strings.
The Second Symphony is allegedly an exercise in polytonality and harmonic ambiguity. In the context of Glass’s strongly diatonic oeuvre that may be so, but there’s really nothing to frighten the horses, unless they have an aversion to exuberant mêlées of glittering textures, sinuous tunes, brightly dancing brass and skittering woodwind.
Both symphonies were originally recorded for Nonesuch by Dennis Russell Davies, but Alsop and the Bournemouth SO’s supple, intelligent, well-focused performances are not at all overshadowed by those earlier recordings.
The Third Symphony, for strings only, contains some of Glass’s most gentle, subtle textures, as well as the usual trademarks: scales running up, scales running down, chugging chords, spiralling melodies, jabbing chords, throbbing bass-lines. Apparently designed to treat every musician as a soloist, its potency derives from the textural weight of the different string groupings and their lively interaction, not radically different from the riffing techniques of pre-Second World War ‘territory’ jazz bands. The second movement, a scherzoid kind of perpetuum mobile, seems neurotic not because there is no tonal centre but because the music constantly wanders around that centre without ever settling on it. The third contains some beautiful if basic counterpoint. The edgy power of the finale prompts stunning playing from the Bournemouth strings.
The Second Symphony is allegedly an exercise in polytonality and harmonic ambiguity. In the context of Glass’s strongly diatonic oeuvre that may be so, but there’s really nothing to frighten the horses, unless they have an aversion to exuberant mêlées of glittering textures, sinuous tunes, brightly dancing brass and skittering woodwind.
Both symphonies were originally recorded for Nonesuch by Dennis Russell Davies, but Alsop and the Bournemouth SO’s supple, intelligent, well-focused performances are not at all overshadowed by those earlier recordings.
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.

Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.