Glassworks (Expanded Edition)

By the 1980s, Philip Glass’ position as a leading figure in contemporary classical music was already firmly established, but his work had yet to make a major impact beyond that mainly niche community. Glassworks, released in 1982, was a deliberate attempt to capture a broader audience. While all six pieces on the album are relatively brief, they give an evocative overview of Glass’ soundworld at that period. The gently rippling piano figurations of “Opening” immediately cast a soothing, hypnotic spell, while the electrical pulsations of “Floe” exemplify Glass in dynamic motion. “Facades”, by contrast, exudes a vein of melancholy mined from his 1980 opera Satyagraha. The expanded edition of Glassworks includes movements from the dance piece “In the Upper Room”, a welcome addition to what remains a highly accessible introduction to Glass’ music.