Philip Glass has announced his new album, simply titled Philip Glass Solo, out January 26th via Orange Mountain Music.
The retrospective project sees Glass revisiting some of his most acclaimed piano compositions, which he re-recorded at his home studio during the COVID-19 pandemic. It features “Opening,” which originally appeared on the 1982 album Glassworks; his “Metamorphosis” series; and a reworked version of “Truman Sleeps” from the soundtrack to The Truman Show.
“This record revisits my works for piano. From 2020-2021, I had time at home to practice the works I have played for many years,” Glass said in a statement about the album. “This record is both a time capsule of 2021, and a reflection on decades of composition and practice. In other words, a document on my current thinking about the music.”
He continued, “There is also the question of place. This is my piano, the instrument on which most of the music was written. It’s also the same room where I have worked for decades in the middle of the energy which New York City itself has brought to me. The listener may hear the quiet hum of New York in the background or feel the influence of time and memory that this space affords. To the degree possible, I made this record to invite the listener in.”
As a preview of the album, check out a video of Glass performing an excerpt of “Opening” from the recording session. Pre-orders are ongoing. See the artwork and tracklist below.
Last month, Glass released a massive box set containing 20 of his etudes and a collection of essays called Philip Glass Piano Etudes. See where his work on the 2017 movie Jane lands on our list of the Top 25 Film Scores of the 2010s.
Philip Glass Solo Artwork:
Philip Glass Solo Tracklist:
01. Opening
02. Mad Rush
03. Metamorphosis I
04. Metamorphosis II
05. Metamorphosis III
06. Metamorphosis V
07. Truman Sleeps
