Having gained popularity in recent years for his critically acclaimed original scores for The Hours and The Illusionist, Philip Glass has long been in the business of effectively communicating emotion and drama in his music, with or without visual aids. Some stunning examples of this can be heard in this Naxos release of three Glass works from the 1980s, written not for the screen but for the concert hall.

Recorded by Belfast's Ulster Orchestra under Japanese conductor Takuo Yuasa, the album opens with the haunting and poignant first movement of the string orchestra suite Company, written by Glass in 1983 and based on Samuel Beckett's prose-text of the same name. The four movements of Company together evoke mystery, sadness, and urgency, perhaps narrating the remembrances of the "one on his back in the dark" portrayed in Beckett's prose.

The violin concerto was written in 1987 and is performed here by the orchestra's principal violinist, Australia's Adele Anthony. It begins with Baroque-styled fiery drama in the first movement, becomes more lyrical in the second movement, and resumes higher energy levels in the final movement. Though unmistakably Glass, the violin concerto bears uncanny resemblance, in its affect and its form, to the violin concertos of composers like Bach and Vivaldi.

Switching genres, two movements from Glass's 1983 opera Akhnaten follow on this recording. The prelude to the opera begins softly and at a quick tempo, building in energy and volume until reaching its peak around the three-quarter mark; after which the music gradually reduces back to more subdued hues, foreshadowing the dramatic arc of the opera's plot.

Glass's distinct and instantly recognizable musical language is spoken with particular grace and gentility in these works, stirring the emotions and inspiring vivid tableaus in the mind's eye.

Featured Tracks:
Violin Concerto: I. -
Akhnaten: Prelude