Glass is actually not that consistent. Most of his stuff sounds the same. A recommendation and a caution for Einstein on the Beach - a very intense groundbreaking 3 and a half hour “minimal opera”. This could drive you to insanity, or you may find it extremely boring. I absolutely love it but many find it difficult to get through the whole thing, especially without the visual component which I have yet to see. (A word on Glass - he is a very visual composer and his stuff works great on film which is why he is such a successful movie soundtrack composer. Check out Steve Reich for much more interesting minimal music)
I’d also recommend Aguas da amazonia performed by Uakti- a truly beautiful and relaxing piece of music, not as intense as the other stuff but close your eyes and you are on a raft floating down a river in the tropics on a warm day with a drink of your choice in one hand and 6 beautiful Amazonian women in the other (YMMV).
The only other I’d recommend is Passages with *Ravi Shankar - one of my favorites and not the typically Glass minimal stuff throughout. Much of Shankar’s Indian influence adds to this wonderful fusion of musics.
Euty, thanks for that link. I just contributed to the cause because I loved the movie and want it on DVD. Please tell me how it compares to a mainstream DVD. Are there any extras? If the movie is released to the mass market, will anything make the $180 version stand out?
I thought I’d save Euty some time and dig up his review thread. I still haven’t been able to bring myself to pony up the money for this one. Maybe in a flurry of X-mas shopping I’ll be able to sneak this purcahse for myself.
Definitely an excellent film. Somehow, it’s never boring. And it’s surprisingly influential – many of the techniques (like the speeded up shots of people walking across the street) have made their way into mainstream TV commercials.
Hmm, although it was in the bin with the CDs, it was clearly marked “DVD- will not play in CD player”. I don’t have a DVD player so didn’t look further to see what it was; it may not have been the movie. But I don’t know what else a Koyaanisqatsi DVD would be.
Maybe I’ll stop by that store this weekend and see what it says it is, if it’s still there.