Philip Glass’s Piano Concerto #3 got its debut last year in Boston, and now the piece gets its West Coast premiere from the New Century Chamber Orchestra. The performance will feature pianist Simone Dinnerstein, whose known mostly for her interpretations of Bach’s masterworks. Glass wrote the concerto expressly for her.
My co-host Gabe Meline and I are both delighted and amazed at how the 81-year-old Glass keeps turning out new compositions. Gabe notes that most people come to Philip Glass through his operas or his minimalist solo piano works, like The Metamorphosis 1-5, or through dense film pieces like Koyaanisqatsi. But his harmonic language keeps evolving in new, lovely directions.
The New Century Chamber Orchestra with pianist Simone Dinnerstein plays Philip Glass’ Piano Concerto No. 3, plus pieces by Bach, Purcell and more May 16-20, in Davis, Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Rafael. Details here.
