Details
Lean in and listen closely. From Philip Glass’s iconic minimalist patterns to resonant bells, electronic rhythms, and David Lang’s quiet intensity, four works reveal the expressive power of repetition and transformation, and the unexpected beauty found in even the smallest changes.
PROGRAM
CASSANDRA MILLER Perfect Offering (2020/21) *
MASON BATES Red River (2007)
PHILLIP GLASS Selections from Glassworks, Arr. C. Badzura (1982)
DAVID LANG these broken wings (2008)
*This piece is a West Coast Premiere.
INSIDE THE MUSIC
Philip Glass — Selections from Glassworks, Arr. C. Badzura
In celebration of Philip Glass’s 90th birthday year, selections from Glassworks thread through the program, offering a clear window into his unmistakable minimalist language. Listen for the “densely packed, slowly changing patterns and seemingly unstoppable linear flow” that Gramophone calls an excellent entry point to contemporary music.
Cassandra Miller — A Perfect Offering
Field recordings of bells from a convent in France are transformed through stretching, imitation, and repetition, creating music that feels intimate, fragile, and quietly transcendent. Inspired by Leonard Cohen’s words about accepting an imperfect offering, the work invites us to hear bells—and the passage of time—with fresh ears. As The New Yorker’s Alex Ross wrote, “Music this uncalculatedly beautiful leaves you almost desperate with gratitude.”
Mason Bates — Red River
The Colorado River becomes a musical journey in Bates’s Red River, which traces its path from the Rocky Mountains toward the Southwest. Traditional chamber instruments meet electronic beats, moving from quicksilver piano figures to ambient and industrial rhythms. Experience the changing sonic landscape as the music evokes both the river’s natural force and human impact.
David Lang — these broken wings
Inspired by the lyrical world of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” Lang’s these broken wings finds emotional depth in restraint. Across three contrasting movements, stamina, stillness, and movement become musical challenges, with falling gestures, silence, and dance-like momentum shaping the experience, creating a surprisingly expansive emotional world.
Transformation doesn’t always arrive through dramatic upheaval. Sometimes it happens gradually, like in a repeated pattern, a lingering resonance, or a familiar sound heard in a new way. Glasswork invites us to slow down, listen closely, and discover how much can change when we pay attention.
