Philip Glass: The Complete Piano Etudes

When I saw this album I was ecstatic to find that Philip Glass had doubled his oeuvre of etudes for piano. I love the music and was quite taken by his own recording of the first set a decade or so ago. Glass is not a virtuoso pianist and it sometimes showed in his own performances, but he played so with such passion that it was almost like listening to Alfred Cortot or Arthur Schnabel, with their poetic insights shining through despite technical flubs. Etudes 5 and 6 especially shone as the emotional heart of the set, the former plaintive and wistful, the latter contrastingly tense, dramatic, pulsing. These were the first etudes i listened to on this new recording, to see how Maki Namekawa compares in her approach to this music.Unfortunately, while I was impressed by her technique over Glass' own, her interpretations fell a little short for me in these pieces. Her fifth is much slower and a bit quieter, at points so much so that it almost falls apart. The intensity in Glass' playing is gone in favor of a more pensive and somber atmosphere. Etude six also varies greatly between artists. Glass' take is dramatic, intense, and played with looser tempo. Namekawa plays the repeated notes without pedal, producing a drier, more precise and toccata-like sound. I will commend her on the clarity and the greater difference between loud and soft that she achieves, which are superior to the composer's own playing. That said, I still prefer Glass himself here. Looking elsewhere in the set, however, I find places where Namekawa shines. I prefer her more dreamlike atmosphere in the second etude and her more noble and articulated eighth etude.The second set of etudes has no standard for comparison on record and I find myself more able to listen more for the music than the interpretation. Etude 1 opens the set confidently with some thunderous turbulence, etude 2 brings us familiar Glassian arpeggios over a motoric, syncopated bass that at one point sounds like Khachaturian's Sabre Dance is about to let loose. Scales are the name of the game in number 3, ascending thunderously in the left hand, crashing down in the right, all interspersed with lighter toccata-like broken chords. The fourth etude is the first of the set to exhibit a subdued, nocturne-like character, almost Chopinesque. Number 5 erupts sonorously and remains forte throughout with unbroken chords in the right hand, the height of grandeur. The sixth is more delicate with pearly figurations in the right hand over the repeating patterns of the left, building gradually to its chordal climax. The set continues to impress, until the final etude. As I listened to this mysterious piece, I was astonished by how un-Glassian it sounded, as if I had listened past the end of the album into another from a different composer. Gradually in the latter half we hear moments of Glass' trademark repeated broken chords, but again they vanish. The mood is introspective and contemplative, a Scriabin-esque sognando atmosphere. I must admit that I'm generally puzzled by the piece but nevertheless find it to be perhaps the most gripping of the set.Overall I am very pleased with this set. In the first set I prefer Glass more often than not. However, I do not regret that Namekawa rather than the composer himself was the first to record the second set. For the most part the second set is more difficult technically and I'm not sure Glass' somewhat less refined technique would have been up to the task for some etudes, especially at the age of 77. The more complex nature of the second set also lends itself more to Namekawa's impeccable clarity. She is not the emotionless drone the some others accuse her of being; rather, she is just a bit more restrained and precise -- which works better in some places. I hope more pianists eventually record these etudes so that we can hear more combinations of player temperament with the music, but for now I find this recording to be a completely worthwhile foray into this new repertoire.

I pretty much concur with Cory's review from December 6, 2014 below. I am a long-time Philip Glass fan (since around the early '80's) and it has been a total pleasure to be a fan of his for all these years. I've attended around 80 PG events over the years and have had the pleasure of speaking to him several times- he is a wonderful person as well as a wonderful composer! Cory saved me a lot of time as I pretty much am on the same page as his review. For the first 10 (disc 1), I do prefer PG's performance from a decade ago overall. Maki Namekawa's performance of #5 loses my interest as this is one of the purest and "simplest" pieces of the set, and PG's version simply makes the music easier to follow and it is easier to hear where PG is coming from on the intent of the piece- Maki's version makes it easier to lose your place in the music (not a good thing here). I also prefer PG's vesion of #2- somehow the way PG ends the central section and returns to the opening theme is magical. For as much PG gets bashed for his technical prowess at the keyboard, he plays the first 10 etudes terrifically. When that CD was released around a decade ago, the staff at Orange Mountain Music told me PG worked extremely hard to put out the best performance he could muster. PG is not a virtuoso pianist by any means, and today spends so much time composing that I am amazed he bothers to do solo piano concerts any more (making goofs while playing with the Philip Glass Ensemble does not stand out like making goofs while playing a solo piano concert).For the second 10 etudes, recording in their entirety for the first time on this CD, Maki's performance automatically becomes the baseline as there is nothing to compare them to (other than Sally Whitwell's performance of #19 that can be heard on SoundCloud). To say the least, I love them all and especially love #17 and #20. #17 is pure PG and truly a mighty piece! I'm not sure why Cory is confused with #20 as it sounds 100% PG to me and not like another composer entered the room. The main theme of #20 is a variation of the main theme from the tremendously beautiful and serene movement called "Gone" from the "Visitors" score. Maki plays all of the new etudes on disc 2 beautifully and I look forward to hearing other interpretations on future CD's and also on YouTube by amateurs who are gutsy enough to give them a try, now that the scores are easily available.

These recordings may change your opinion of Philip Glass. Similar to its format cousin, theme-and-variation -- which deals with rhythmic variations, permutations, and deconstructions -- etudes provide the exploration of thematic patterns and harmonies, putting compositional ideas to the test. Studies are a stage in the creation of a sculpture and painting and also in music. It is a part of the practice and craft. A long series of piano works over decades, as Beethoven's sonatas, gives the audience a greater appreciation of the composer, because they are more private, deeper, and complex, and offers insight to the artist's personal development. Thus, while already a fan of Philip Glass, these two books of etudes, 20 in all, have increased my regard for his art. These are powerful statements, the better developed experiments. The first ten, composed in the 1990s, are more inventive, more playful, and their intent was toward technique. No.2 is exceeding different than the expected propulsive forcefulness, having instead romantic snowflake gentleness, and No. 4 is suggestive of a popular song. In contrast, Book 2, also of 10 etudes and which were composed within the past decade as late as 2012, is more meditative (No.4 and its mantra phrasing), darker and grave (No. 8), intense (No. 7), and yearning. An etude may lead to a concerto, ballet, or film score. No. 10 of Book 2, went the other way, being derived from Glass's film score to Vistors. The pianist for this splendid album is Maki Namekawa, who is experienced in other Glass works, including premieres and particularly of these Complete Etudes. Her expertise is telling. Taken together, these diverse studies show Glass's trademark minimalism and arpeggio pulses in a new light.

I'm a huge fan of Glass in general, & his piano music in particular. After hearing Batagov's other renditions of Glass, I had to get this. In comparison with Maki Namekawa's rendition of the complete Etudes, this seems to me to be a little softer & less clinical. I'm not sure which I prefer though, as I like them both so much.One concern I did have with this version is that it is a live rendition, so there is always the danger of ambient noise from the audience. I needn't have worried, however, as the whole thing sound so clean that it could easily be taken for a studio recording. The only time the audience intrudes is when they applaud at the end.

Maki Namekawa is a superb pianist with immense understanding of the music of Philip Glass and she has terrific attack and particularly great subtlety of interpretation. Whether I have adequate understanding of the music of Glass I wonder, but perhaps it is sufficient to say that I have always been fascinated by it and that I find these Piano Etudes particularly exquisite and beautiful.

These studies are a remarkable achievement from Philip Glass. Once again we must pay tribute to J S Bach for making them possible.However, upon listening to these fantastic performances Serge Prokofiev's piano music keeps jumping out at me. This piano music is as ground breaking as Chopin achieved the 19th Century or Rachmaninoff in the 20th. Just don't miss it.

If you like Glass then this 2 disk set of the complete 20 Etudes could not be performed better by the wonderful pianist Maki Namekawa. Excellent purchase.

I first heard this on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction and it was an essential buy. I had been listening to more Philip Glass after my son bought me "KOYAANISQATSI" and "POWAQQATSI" as a DVD boxed set. The Piano Etudes are beautiful and for anyone coming to Philip Glass for the first time the CD is a wonderful introduction to his music.