The Composer

Philip Glass’s distinct musical voice has cast a long shadow over American classical music for more than sixty years, as detailed in a recent analysis by Matthew Aucoin in the October 22 issue of nybooks.com. The piece coincides with the debut of Glass’s latest symphony, Lincoln, premiered at Tanglewood during the summer, marking another milestone in the composer’s prolific career.

Aucoin, an accomplished composer and conductor himself, offers a nuanced perspective on the challenges and nuances involved in performing Glass’s compositions. He highlights the composer’s signature use of repetition and minimalist motifs, which demand a different kind of temporal awareness from musicians. Instead of responding to rapid shifts and surprises, performers must attune themselves to extended musical gestures that unfold over many iterations, creating a hypnotic effect deeply intertwined with the urban American soundscape Glass helped define.

Having conducted Glass’s opera Akhnaten and performed his piano études, Aucoin describes the immersive discipline required to embody the slow, meditative pulse of Glass’s music. He points to countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who has become renowned for his interpretations of Glass’s vocal works, as an exemplar of this dedication. Aucoin contrasts this with the difficulties faced by orchestras less familiar or sympathetic to Glass’s style, where the repetitive nature can strain musicians physically and mentally.

Glass’s pervasive influence means that many listeners may have first encountered his musical language indirectly, through film soundtracks or commercials before experiencing his authentic oeuvre. Aucoin himself cannot pinpoint his initial encounter, underscoring the composer’s ubiquity in contemporary culture.

Aucoin’s own compositions show traces of Glass’s legacy, particularly in texture and minor-key arpeggios, yet he emphasizes a clear departure in his approach to musical development. While Glass’s work often embodies patience and gradual evolution, Aucoin’s style favors swift progression from one idea to the next, weaving diverse stylistic elements into dynamic, coherent narratives. This distinction underscores the complexity of influence in modern composition, where echoes of predecessors coexist with fresh, individual creative processes.

Currently, Aucoin is focused on the release of a studio recording of Music for New Bodies, a vocal symphony inspired by the recent poetry of Jorie Graham. Scheduled for release on October 30 through DACAMERA Editions, this work occupies a liminal space between concert music and opera, reflecting a modern trend toward music-theater forms that resist conventional storytelling. Graham’s poetry, which touches on themes ranging from human existence to nonhuman perspectives, provides a rich textual foundation that Aucoin and director Peter Sellars have shaped into a polyphonic, non-narrative musical experience.

Aucoin’s reflections extend beyond composition to his listening habits, where he admits a preference for podcasts over music in daily life, given his constant immersion in sound creation. Nevertheless, he praises the innovative work of fellow composer Keir GoGwilt, whose Zarabanda Variations explore colonial Mexican musical heritage with a daring, avant-garde sensibility.

This dialogue between generations of composers—Glass’s foundational minimalism, Aucoin’s narrative complexity, and GoGwilt’s exploratory ventures—illustrates the vibrant, evolving landscape of contemporary classical music. As Glass’s Lincoln symphony enters the repertoire, it reaffirms the enduring power of minimalist aesthetics, while Aucoin’s work exemplifies the fresh directions American composers continue to pursue.

Details on Glass’s new symphony Lincoln remain limited in this report beyond its recent premiere, but its timing and thematic focus suggest continued engagement with American history and identity. Aucoin’s insights provide valuable context for understanding Glass’s stylistic demands and the broader currents shaping today’s classical music scene.