Oeuvre: Metamorphosis

From the moment I found out that Philip Glass was going to be playing at St George’s Bristol for his only completely solo performance in Britain this year, I knew it was bound to be a special event. I arrived at the venue to see people waiting patiently and hoping for returns at the box office – the hall was packed to maximum capacity with extra seating at the back.

Philip Glass came to Amsterdam for a series of two concerts in the three-year-old Rabozaal theatre of De Melkweg. I attended the second show, billed as “An evening of film music and dance”. Glass himself opened the night playing Metamorphosis II on the piano, apparently because he was asked to do so. Fortunately he did it with great verve and suppleness.

You have to hand it to Philip Glass: 75 years old and a career on fire. And even more remarkable are the simple musical elements that made that career: the oscillating thirds, the arpeggios, and the basic melodic motifs that have entranced a vast spectrum of listeners. New York has seen a flurry of concerts to fete the hometown composer in his 75th year.