Solo Piano Music cover

Solo Piano Music

Philip Glass · 2013

184 min · 28 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.

Instrumental
64 /100
Foothills
Higher than 35% of albums we've rated

Strong, recurring piano writing gives the program staying power, but its broad selection and repeated Glassworks opening make it feel more like a survey than a shaped album.

What we noticed

  • The opening sequence runs through all five Metamorphosis pieces before moving to Mad Rush and Wichita Vortex Sutra.
  • The Hours selections occupy tracks 10–20, and Truman Sleeps follows them before the program returns to another Opening from Glassworks.
  • Opening from Glassworks appears three times in the catalogued tracklist, including a separately credited arrangement at the start.
Composition 25% of the score
7/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
6/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
7/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
5/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
5/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 2/10

Little footprint beyond its audience. 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 Opening from 'Glassworks' (Arr. Jeroen Van Veen) 8:53
  • 2 Metamorphosis One 7:03
  • 3 Metamorphosis Two 6:54
  • 4 Metamorphosis Three 4:23
  • 5 Metamorphosis Four 5:53
  • 6 Metamorphosis Five 6:07
  • 7 Mad Rush 15:12
  • 8 Wichita Vortex Sutra 7:25
  • 9 Opening from 'Glassworks' 9:25

Disc 2

  • 1 The Poet Acts 3:35
  • 2 Morning Passages 5:25
  • 3 Something She Has To Do 3:30
  • 4 I'm Going To Make A Cake 3:44
  • 5 An Unwelcome Friend 4:32
  • 6 Dead Things 3:55
  • 7 Why Does Someone Have To Die 3:37
  • 8 Tearing Herself Away 4:07
  • 9 Escape! 3:34
  • 10 Choosing Life 4:10
  • 11 The Hours 7:13
  • 12 Truman Sleeps (From 'The Truman Show') 2:10
  • 13 Opening from 'Glassworks' 6:10
  • 14 Olympian 3:58

Disc 3

  • 1 Modern Love Waltz 4:58
  • 2 How Now 25:08
  • 3 'Trilogy' Sonata, I. Einstein On The Beach, Knee Play No. 4 7:42
  • 4 'Trilogy' Sonata, II. Satyagraha, Act III, Conclusion 8:50
  • 5 'Trilogy' Sonata, III. Aknaten, Dance (From Scene 3) 6:25

What to play next

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Reference: MusicBrainz