Philip Glass on the River in NYC

Philip Glass Retrospective, Rockefeller Park, NYC - June 20, 2012

 

Nicholas DiCarlo

Composer Philip Glass turns 75 this year, and his birthday is being celebrated with concerts throughout the year, and even a singalong. 

Nicholas DiCarlo, a friend from West Virginia living in New York City, posted an invitation to a free, outdoor Philip Glass retrospective along the river in Rockefeller Park on Wednesday. I couldn't make it across the state to join him, but he kindly shared his pictures from the concert and wrote up a few thoughts.

The Philip Glass Ensemble featured a retrospective of the composer's works including Music in Twelve Parts, Akhnaten and Einstein on the Beach. The collection showcased several sides of his work - ranging from the more chaotic and avant-garde to his smoother film scores like Kundun and The Truman Show.

Atmosphere was everything at the free Rockefeller Park concert, where thousands sprawled across the expanse of lawn. The ensemble began its journey trickling, droning and swelling as the sun set. Sailboats breezed up and down the Hudson. People talked, held onto each other, and bobbed along to the music as it buoyed the night along.

There really was no narrative, but just a very subtle flow that mirrored the changing light and the evening cool nicely.