Philip Glass Composer Date of Birth: 31.01.1931 Country: USA

Biography of Philip Glass

Philip Glass, a renowned composer, was born on January 31, 1931, in Chicago. He studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Chicago and attended the Juilliard School of Music in Paris under the famous Nadia Boulanger. Glass began composing original music while working on a film score under the guidance of Ornette Coleman, when Ravi Shankar asked him to help arrange his part. The collaboration of these masterful talents led to the creation of unprecedented music. Since then, Shankar and Glass have often composed and performed together.

In the mid-60s, Glass traveled extensively in North Africa and Asia. Upon returning to New York in 1967, he met Indian tabla player Alla Rakha. In 1968, he formed a group capable of performing his own music. However, Glass did not remain in this world of "pure sound" for too long.

In 1975, without a recording contract, Glass began working with Robert Wilson on his first opera, "Einstein on the Beach." "Einstein" was first performed in Europe and reached Broadway on November 21, 1976, creating a sensation. Glass signed a contract with CBS and released a successful album. After the success of "Einstein," Glass began receiving commissions. The Netherlands Opera commissioned him to compose "Satyagraha," a work about Mahatma Gandhi's early years. He wrote the opera "Akhnaten" (released on a CBS album in 1988) by order of the Stuttgart Opera.

Glass has been commissioned to create music for films, theater productions, and ballets, including "New York City Ballet" under the direction of Jerome Robbins. Alongside his ensemble of seven individuals, Glass performs concerts in major venues in Paris, Tokyo, and Toronto. The Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra organized a summer festival where the works of Richard Wagner and Philip Glass were performed alternately.

Glass collaborated extensively with David Byrne of Talking Heads, one of the acknowledged leaders in rock poetry. Together with sound designer Kurt Munkacsi, Glass strives to utilize all the studio resources and possibilities of new technology for his music.

The majority of Glass's music has been composed for the stage or for films. In addition to the aforementioned operas, it is worth mentioning his soundtracks for Godfrey Reggio's films "Koyaanisqatsi" and "Powaqqatsi." In the 90s, Glass composed operas with Doris Lessing and Allen Ginsberg. He worked with Brian Eno on the reworking of "Low," previously released by David Bowie. In 2001, Philip Glass composed an opera based on Franz Kafka's story "In the Penal Colony."