glass notes
OMM New Releases – THE LOST & HEROES

SPUREN DER VERIRRTEN – THE LOST

THE LOST CD

Orange Mountain Music presents the CD and DVD of Philip Glass s newest opera: Spuren der Verirrten -The Lost  which had its world premiere on 12 April 2013 at the opening of the new opera house in Linz Austria. The opera is based on a play by the same title by Peter Handke. The work combines the two distinct voices – composer Philip Glass and playwright Peter Handke and was created to celebrate the opening of the newest opera house in Europe, the Musiktheater am Volksgarten Linz.
 
The production team included Artistic Director Rainer Mennicken and Maestro Dennis Russell Davies and the renowned Bruckner Orchester Linz perhaps the definitive orchestra for the interpretation of Glass over the past decade having previously recorded Glass symphonies Nos.6-9, the opera The Voyage and other work.
 
The New York Times described Glass score as  "a richly colorful, flowing tapestry of sound."  The highly visual work seems to use every theatrical conception in the book all the while posing the question to audience, spectator, and humanity alike: Are we lost?
 
The CD includes a deluxe digipack, full libretto, 60-page booklet with photos from the production and essays about the work.  
 
"Menacingly buzzing strings, roaring brass instruments and a crashing (orchestra) alternate with poignantly melodic lines. Glass is boldly symphonic in one moment, softly insistent the next, weaving a harmonic tapestry that becomes part of the visual fabric on stage." –The Associated Press
 
Available August 26th on CD and DVD from Amazon and other retail outlets.

THE LOST DVD

SYMPHONY NO.4 "HEROES"

HEROES CD

Orange Mountain Music presents a new recording by the Basel Sinfonieorchester of Philip Glass Symphony No.4 "Heroes" based on the music of David Bowie & Brian Eno. Composed in 1996, Glass took his departure from Bowie & Eno s beautiful melodies in crafting a six-movement 44-minute symphony.
This new recording conducted by Glass champion Dennis Russell Davies is a shimmering rendition of the work. Only the third recording of the Symphony, it has been 18 years since the last one, the previous recording was recorded in the studio sectionally whereas this new OMM recording was made live in Basel Switzerland and captures the vitality and beauty of the work as never heard before.
 
Recorded less than a year after the Orange Mountain Music recording of the companion piece Symphony No.1 "Low", Glass states in discussing the work of Bowie and Eno:
 
"The continuing influence of these works has secured their stature as part of the new "classics" of our time. Just as composers of the past have turned to music of their time to fashion new works, the work of Bowie and Eno became an inspiration and point of departure of symphonies of my own"
 
Available September 2nd from iTunes and Amazon
 
Related recordings:  Symphony No.1 "Low" OMM0092 – Released May 2014
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2 thoughts on “OMM New Releases – THE LOST & HEROES”

  1. Something to look forward to over the next couple of months; I’m particularly pleased to see such a new work (‘The Lost’) getting a CD release, instead of having to wait several years, and I really enjoyed the quality of the “Low” symphony (released a few months ago); it’s expressive interpretation making it worth getting alongside the original studio recording, so I’m hoping that “Heroes” is similarly worthwhile. Nice!

  2. I noticed that the preview(s) for Symphony No.4 “Heroes” is up on iTunes now, and it sounds like the first movement, “Heroes”, has been extended to almost twice it’s original length. It’s like getting to see the “director’s cut” of an old favourite!

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