Four Mouvements For Two Pianos

Composer Philip Glass returned to composition for chamber ensemble after several years of work for films, ballet, opera and solo instruments. Four Movements For Two Pianos was commissioned by hislong-time advocate the conductor and pianist Dennis Russell Davies and pianist Maki Namakawa and, after the success of this piece at the Ruhr Piano Festival, the pair decided to continue performing as a duo. The piece can belocated more at the classical end of Glass’ compositional spectrum, retaining all the propulsive rhythms, arpeggiation, and repetitiveness that are the hallmarks of the composer’s work.

American composerPhilip Glass is widely known as one of the most celebrated, influential and prolific of the modern composers. He is frequently referred to as a minimalist, though he prefers to call himself a composer of ‘music withrepetitive structures.’ His operas, among them the renowned Einstein On The Beach, are performed across the globe, and he has created work for small and large ensembles, film and experimental theatre, and founded his ownperforming group, The Philip Glass Ensemble.