Philip Glass: Violin Concerto, Company, Prelude from Akhnaten

Some of his best work

     

Having listened to many, many works of Philip Glass I can say that I am a fan, but that doesn't mean that I find his output consistent - some of it is a bits schlocky (Piano Concerto No. 2), some of it is a bit tedius (Waiting for the Barbarians). This set of pieces is special, though - probably the best single-disc introduction to Glass's orchestral music available. The highlight is the Violin Concerto, possibly Glass's most engaging orchestral work, certainly the best concerto he's ever written. The outer movements are played with vigor here in an excellent performance. 'Company' is arranged for string orchestra from Glass's second string quartet - the four compact movements have drama and atmosphere which Glass could rarely duplicate. The two excerpts from Akhnaten pique interest in hearing the entire opera. All in all I can't recommend this disc strongly enough to fans and to the curious alike.