Glass: Heroes Symphony; The Light
Heroeswas composed in 1996 as a set of ballet pieces for Twyla Tharp; each of the six movements was based on tunes by David Bowie and Brian Eno. Even outside of their obvious dance purposes, listeners will have plenty to keep them interested, since Glass's scoring for these pieces is colorful and ear-catching. Horns play a big part in the opening section; "Abdulmajid," has an Arabic tinge, featuring castanets and celesta; the heavy brass that opens "Sense of Doubt" gives way to some fine woodwind play, and so forth. Much of the work is in the familiar Glass style of repeated arpeggiated phrases, but the textures change constantly.The Light, from 1987, is supposedly a depiction of a scientific experiment confirming the speed of light, but the listener need not be concerned. It starts with a lovely if downhearted theme but picks up steam in a manner that may remind you of the composer'sThe Photographer, eventually reaching an almost tipsy level of frenzy. The performances by Marin Alsop and The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are ideal.--Robert Levine