Kepler cover

Kepler

Philip Glass · 2011

114 min · 15 tracks · opera

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

65 /100
Treeline
Higher than 39% of albums we've rated

Its patterned vocal writing and deliberate alternation of scientific and poetic scenes give the opera a coherent shape, though its episodic construction limits dramatic momentum.

What we noticed

  • Act One alternates Kepler’s scientific scenes with three Gryphius settings; Act Two continues that pattern with two more before the epilogue.
  • The 15 titled sections divide the opera into short dramatic units rather than long, continuous scenes, with a prologue and epilogue framing the two acts.
  • Repeated instrumental patterns underpin the vocal writing, while the shifts between astronomy, questions, and the Gryphius poems provide much of the scene-to-scene contrast.
Composition 25% of the score
6/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
7/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
6/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
6/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Kepler: Act 1: Prologue 6:45
  • 2 Kepler: Act 1: I: Questions 1 5:35
  • 3 Kepler: Act 1: II: Polyeder 8:36
  • 4 Kepler: Act 1: III: Genesis 6:16
  • 5 Kepler: Act 1: IV: Gryphius 1: Upon the Night 9:50
  • 6 Kepler: Act 1: V: Physica Coelestis 7:24
  • 7 Kepler: Act 1: VI: Gryphius 2 8:29
  • 8 Kepler: Act 1: VII: Questions 2 6:52
  • 9 Kepler: Act 1: VIII: Gryphius 3: Eyes. Optical Paradox 6:26

Disc 2

  • 1 Kepler: Act 2: I: On Astrology 9:01
  • 2 Kepler: Act 2: II: Gryphius 4: To the Stars 10:34
  • 3 Kepler: Act 2: III: Hypotheses 9:54
  • 4 Kepler: Act 2: IV: Gryphius 5: Tears of the Fatherland 6:27
  • 5 Kepler: Act 2: V: Emphemerides 5:38
  • 6 Kepler: Act 2: Epilogue 6:09

What to play next

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra no. 1
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Reference: MusicBrainz