Philip Glass, the Maestro & His Piano Études

Film score composers have been of great interest to me ever since I took a series of lectures in film scores from talented Taiwanese composer Cincin Lee. When I accidentally heard Philip Glass’s Piano Études No 6 played by accomplished Taiwanese pianist Jenny Lin, I fell head over heels for his music, like being casted a spell.

I am a bit shameful to know about him just now, Philip Glass is apparently an eminent musician for years; some of his early famous film score including “The Truman Show” and “The Hours”, and there he has numerous noted works including the pivotal unconventional music in the 4-acts opera “Einstein on the Beach”.

Philip Glass is usually classified as a minimalism, even though according to the bio on his own website, his preferred description is

Unlike popular modern minimalist composer Hans Zimmer, whose high-profile works including the music behind Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Inception and Interstellar; Philip Glass’s music seems to have a distinct layer, a more sentimental one. To me, Hans Zimmer is undoubtedly a master in using the simplest notes to create sonic waves magnifying audience’s response toward epics scenes.
Philip Glass is composing somewhat differently. Attending Juilliard School of Music and studying Bach and Mozart at youth, his music deeply ties with classical elements, and hence distinctive in an everlasting elegant style. He composes a dreamy world full of soothing, poetic, and sometimes exotic vibes, and it’s very addictive, at least to me.

One of the fun thing in piano étude is that as its origin was practice materials to perfecting musical skills, many études come with speedy repetitive notes in varying joints, therefore different pianist may play his or her own little trick on the order of the measures. That’s why after I got myself the sheet music of Philip Glass’s Piano Études No 6, I notice that different musicians all have their own version in this piece. Below let me share my favorite version so far by Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson.

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