PHILIP GLASS (b.1937): Dance No. 2, Trilogy Sonata, Dance No. 4.

Description: This CD is framed by the two solo organ dances from Glass' 1979 multimedia collaboration Dance. Both utilise the familiar incessantly repeated cells with the gradual introduction of changes and asymmetries; arpeggii and mildly discordant pedal tones dominate the texture. They are energetic and exhilarating in typical Glass style. The Sonata consists of arrangements for solo piano of short sections from Glass' operas Einstein on the Beach', Satyagraha and Akhnaten. Schleiermacher quite apologetically acknowledges the shortcomings of the piano versions compared to the richer textures and greater rhythmic complexity of the originals, though it is interesting to hear the material from the stage works reduced to its essentials in this manner. Steffen Schleiermacher (organ, piano - Trilogy).