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| Philip Glass Concert Review |
| Posted By: Cary Wong on November 20, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
Philip Glass Concert Review
By Cary Wong
Orion: The Concert ****
PHILIP GLASS, VARIOUS
Brooklyn Academy of Music
October 6, 2005
In Greek mythology, Orion was a mighty hunter who boasted he was the
ruler of all animals on earth. In the constellations, his belt is the
most visible and recognizable from both the northern and southern
hemispheres. These facts may not relate directly to the Philip Glass
piece that bears its name, but they do give the piece depth and
resonance. This concert work was created for the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, where it played to great acclaim at its premiere at a concert
space right outside the Acropolis. What makes this piece different than
most others by Glass is that he is here collaborating not with a
lyricist or director, but with other musicians. This challenge has
produced what will probably turn out to be his most accessible work to
date.
Not that he's working with Mariah Carey or Justin Timberlake, mind you.
He has decided to take the Olympic theme of cultures coming together
into one arena to heart and has invited seven diverse musicians from
different countries, incorporating indigenous instruments, an approach
that makes the entire evening feel universal. The result is an Olympic
event in miniature. Each artist performs a virtuoso solo turn backed by
the Philip Glass ensemble, in some incidents, as astonishing as a diver
doing his acrobatic feats, and in others, graceful as an equestrian
presentation. While each individual competition (if you will) is
exciting, the interludes between the works prove to be the most
thrilling. And these pieces have nothing to do with Philip Glass. Yet,
there he was, on-stage, smiling and bobbing his head during these
interludes, probably enjoying the music as much as the audience and
satisfied in the fact that he brought these artists together. It's the
host country enjoying the fruits of his hospitality.
At the vast Opera House stage of BAM, the stage looks like any concert
presentations, with only the scrim changing colors throughout the
evening. The Philip Glass ensemble enter, all in black with consummate
conductor and keyboardist Michael Riesman downstage right, while Mr.
Glass is at his own keyboard downstage left. This is the power position
since the artist all enter and exit stage left so Glass usually has
some physical interaction with each artist as well, be it a handshake a
bow or a nod of appreciation. The choice of black as their attire
becomes apparent as each of the performers in turn appears on stage in
startling and vibrant colors. The effect is striking.
Australian Mark Atkins starts the evening played the elongated
didgeridoo with such force, one fears for the veins in his head. The
sporting equivalent would have to weight-lifting, and not just because
of Atkins' size. How one can sustain this instrument for 10 minutes is
crazy, but Atkins keeps up, especially during the repetitious Glassian
moments. The Aborigine flavored piece sounds closest to Glass' score to
Kundun.
Wu Man, from China, has the grace of an ice dancer, but you should see
the acrobatics of her bow as she plays the pipa, an instrument she has
made popular in the Western world with such collaborators as Yo-Yo Ma
and the Kronos Quartet. Glass respects her enough to let her have her
extended solos, with an ending to her piece that's quite a spectacle.
But not to be outdone, Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, in a quilt and
a wife-beater (I mean a white tank top) and a hairstyle straight out of
the Bjork school of coiffure, runs a marathon with his violin. Although
Canadian by birth, MacIsaac's inspiration is Celtic-flavored violin,
and it is the least Glassian piece in the group. Yet, Glass' influence
is unmistakable. With nods to Riverdance,
this is the most accessible piece of the evening. MacIsaac plays with
such speed and agility that by the end, everyone was on the edge of
their seats, which MacIsaac punctuated with a couple of dance steps and
a kick. Thrilling indeed.
African Foday Musa Suso played a nyanyer, a single-string violin and
the effect was almost Spanish in flavor. Suso, who has collaborated
with Glass before in such works as The
Screens, played with an expert concentration of an archer, and
even added some new-age/world music vocals to his soothing piece.
The three-man relay team of UAKTI from Brazil created the closest to
the Glass sound with their mix of percussion and flute. The unique
sound of their instruments, however, didn't make much of an impression
with this hypnotic and even-keeled piece after the show-offy nature of
the previous artist. Still, watching them go from instrument to
instrument was part of the fun of their contribution. As the piece
reached its Blue Man-esque finale, I admired the intensity of the
entire ensemble.
India's Gaurav Mazumdar sat on the floor of a platform and played his
sitar with the skill and speed of a ping pong player. Moving his hand
quickly across the sitar and playing the Ravi Shankar-penned
composition was quite a joy to watch. It made me appreciate the skill
of a sitar player, though the instrument was never one of my favorites.
To end the evening, Grecian singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki sang a folk
song based on a Greek poem, which at first listen was hard to grasp
with its non-Western inflictions. But each soloist returns after each
repetition, building on it every time, until the stage is filled with
people dressed in vibrant colors and playing instruments seldom seen in
tandem in a traditional orchestra. This finale was probably more
emotional to a Greek audience, but it was still extremely moving to the
jaded New Yorkers in the audience.
And to add to the joy of the evening, there were also interludes
between certain pieces where two soloists came together to create a duo
piece no longer than five minutes in length, and embodying the Olympian
spirit of brotherhood that crosses all man-made borders. Especially
playful was the UAKTI/Gaurav Mazumdar pairing, which started with an
odd spinning cylindrical instrument that two of the UAKTI guys
manipulated. Simply amazing.
I'm not sure how many more times this particular ensemble will be able
to tour together. Future concerts may only have a portion of the
soloists, or maybe even none at all. This is a shame since this group
works well together, and they all seem to respect each other's
differences. Orange Mountain Music released a concert version CD with
this touring cast of musicians, and although it gives a good taste to
what made the concert enjoyable, the visual and visceral power of the
live concert is lost in the audio alone. It's the actual physical
presence of the performers that bring cohesion to this eclectic piece,
which doesn't connect as well on CD.
This year's Next Wave festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
included many interesting and inventive works, including the world
premiere of Philip Glass' Symphony
No. 8, actress Isabelle Huppert in British playwright Sarah
Kane's last work before her suicide, 4.48
Psychosis, and a ballet version of Zhang Yimou's film, Raise the Red Lantern, directed by
the Zhang himself and presented by the National Ballet of China, for
which I will have an upcoming review.
Don't forget, if
you like reading exciting exclusive articles about film music, sign up
for FSMonline
today!
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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