I'm going to end all my post titles with exclamation points now…This one is in reponse to Tim Fain's performance of the first three movements of a solo violin work (Partita?) which he played in Florida last night. Check out this review from Miami's Herald Tribune:
"Beginning with the first three movements of the Glass work, Fain’s strong technique delivered the “new Philip Glass,” the composer of lyric and melodic gifts quite different from the purveyor of the metronomic repetition of motifs which characterized his early work and drove many to distraction. These intense and demanding movements focus on the unique qualities of the violin in creating a sound universe that encompasses harmony and counterpoint mostly unheard since the monumental works of Bach in this genre."
Now, to some, chamber music might not scream excitment. But to others it's the highest form of music making and is part of a now broader trend in Glass' writing going back to his solo cello suite of 2007.
Following that piece, came Four Movements for Two Pianos, then a Sonata for Violin & Piano, then solo violin sections "Songs," in the new violin concerto, and duets for violin and cello which can and will be extracted from the new Double Concerto as well. Add to this, this new solo violin work and a second cello suite and we have seven chamber works in 3 years. Nice…
4 thoughts on “Chamber Time!”
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Thanks to the wonderful generosity of Tim Fain, I was able attend this performance. He played the first three of what will be eight movements. Each of the three was probably around 5 minutes or so. Glass is still writing the final five. Very beautiful and the best is yet to come, as each movement was a little more intense than the preceding one, and Tim said that a chaconne and dance were going to be two of the next five movements. How Tim can memorize this music is beyond me!
I’m a little confused, Steve or Richard could you please explain what are these 8 movements(!!!) are a part of? Is this for the new Cello concerto or something else?
This piece will be an 8 movement solo violin work for Tim Fain. 3 movements are finished thus far.
Thanks for the response. Sounds very very intriguing (in a Songs and Poems sort of way 😉 ).