The Stage Works of Philip Glass

Glass's stage works have attracted wide popular acclaim. This book assesses critical approaches to them and explores Glass's creative philosophy.

Robert F. Waters (Author)

9781107049758, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 August 2022

335 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.56 kg

The Stage Works of Philip Glass is the first publication to exclusively examine Glass's stage works from 1976 to the present day. Glass, who is regularly acclaimed as the most popular living classical composer, created stage works that have had a mesmerizing effect on younger generations. Robert Waters analyses Glass and his music for the theatre in the context of other composers interested in so-called minimalist features. His discussion includes three introductory chapters that address the validity versus invalidity of terms such as minimalism, post-minimalism, postmodernism, and neo-Romanticism, together with a brief overview of Glass's life and works. Waters examines the different types of theatre responsible for Glass's impact, including Robert Wilson's Theater of Images. He sheds light on Glass's philosophy regarding staging, text, and other theatrical components, which includes a defiance of conventional narrative, visual and aural dissociation as a theatrical technique, and deconstructionist concepts.

Preface
Background
1. Introduction
2. Terminology and Stages of Minimalism
3. Terminology: Post-Minimalism, Postmodernism, and Neo-Romanticism
4. Philip Glass's Early Life and Career (1937-1975)
STAGE WORKS: 5. Theater
6. Language and Philosophy
7. Themes, Genres, and Archetypes
8. Multimedia and Hybrid Genres
9. Dance
10. Music
11. Critical and Audience Reception
12. Conclusion
Endnotes
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6]