14 November 2016 (gig)
19 November 2016
The Barezzi Festival takes place in Parma aiming to attract top artists to play in its beautiful theatres situated in town and its province. The final night of the 2017 festival had maestro Philip Glass no less, at the majestic Teatro Regio, along with three splendid pianists, from Moscow, Anton Batagov, an Italian, Roberto Esposito and longterm Philip Glass favourite, Maki Namekawa from Japan, all there to perform Glass’s celebrated ‘20 Etudes’.
These compositions written for piano, PG explained, were written in two stages, the first 10 in the 90’s, the second 10 from 2005-2012 and are one of the reasons that he is considered by many to be the most important American modern classical composer.
It was a packed crowd that awaited the Master who shuffled almost unnoticed on stage dressed in slacks, shirt and cut off cardigan, to explain the evening would be neatly divided into two sets with an interval between, and to introduce his fellow performers.
He mentioned that the first 10 etudes were specifically composed as exercises to improve his own piano playing and indeed the dexterity and technique needed to perform the pieces along with the repetitiveness of each composition, completely absorbs and consumes the listener. Namekawa’s interpretation of Etudes n°7 may have been the standout performance but to hear Philip Glass at the ripe old age of 78 still able to mesmerize was both enchanting and endearing.
The second set of Etudes are more varied in tempo with different textures and flourishes in the pieces which are captivating even if, for me at least, not quite as unique and satisfying as the first set but still wonderful no less.
A standing ovation with the artists returning to the stage 3 times was testimony to the evening’s success but mainly the applause was earnest in intent, to express the gratitude we owe Philip Glass as a visionary and icon of our age something he most certainly is.
