Review: American Philip Glass's Music with Changing Parts from 1970 marked a turning point in minimalist composition. Built on eight staves of repeating melodic patterns, the piece allows musicians to freely choose and switch parts at specific cues, which results in striking shifts in instrumentation. Though composed entirely of eighth notes, early rehearsals revealed unexpected sustained tones and psychoacoustic resonances created by layered repetition. Glass embraced this effect, later incorporating optional long notes into the score. This recording explores that idea further by overdubbing short and sustained notes to make for a utopian version of the piece. It is hypnotic and ever-changing yet constant.
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