A major minimalist composer, Philip Glass is perhaps one of the most listened to and most popular of contemporary composers.
Written for himself in 1994, these Études are a kind of synthesis of Glass's musical writing; harmonically, melodically, with a repetitive character and recognisable rhythmical figures. Each of the twenty studies has its own character, technical difficulties and rhythmic particularities. As the cycle progresses we discover a very intimate side of the composer where the form becomes more improvised and the lyricism is intensified.
One evening in July 2007, during the “Nuits de Fourvière” in Lyon, Philip Glass was fighting the elements to make his playing heard. Despite a noisy and torrential downpour falling on the main stage of the Roman amphitheatre, he performed his recently completed Études for piano thereby offering every one of us in the audience what remains for François Mardirossian one of his greatest musical experiences. Hence this recording.
Recorded in HDRS by Jean-Yves Labat de Rossi, Studio Stephen Paulello (Villethierry, France), in Decembre 2021.
© AdVitam Records