Philip Glass is known for creating musical masterpieces full of repetitive structures and shifting harmonies. He can be counted among the most influential composers of the late 20th century. His musical journey started back when he was a young boy and his father introduced him to a lot of different artists. After spending many hours listening to all the music from these artists he developed his taste for music. He composed various chamber and orchestral pieces during the 60's, before bringing his music to the operas and creating his solo records. The success of his 1967 formed "The Philip Glass Ensemble" introduced the listener to the variety of his work, to be heard in the use of woodwinds and amplifiers.

At the beginning of the 80's he created some of his masterpieces, both for his solo work as for films. One of those classics is Glassworks, consisting of six warm and accessible pieces. The album shows the beauty of his repetitive sounds for which he gained the inspiration out of the eastern culture. Another release from that time is the chamber opera The Photographer. It's one of the works bridging the gap between his earlier compositions and his later pieces for more traditional instrumentation. A highlight from the period where his traditional instrumentation became his signature is the album Solo Piano. Without the help of any keyboards or synths he composed some intriguing piano pieces. His power to naturally developing ideas can be heard in the different tracks of the album, maybe at his wildest in "Mad Rush".  


In the spring of 1992 Glass composed his new work Low Symphony after listening extensively to the album by the same name from David Bowie and Brian Eno. The influences from the musical ideas of the two musicians led to a surprisingly deep and sophisticated record. Four years after this release he created a sequel to the album. This time Heroes formed the start for creating his new compositions. The symphony which exists of six movements combines the influences from their world music and experimental avant-garde with classical sounds. Glass introduced us to his own rhythmic ideas which makes it harder to identify the original songs by Bowie and Eno.

As the years passed by Glass became more impressed by the film soundtracks. After his fantastic trilogy Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002) he went on to compose more and more music for all kind of movies. A great example is the in 2006 released score for The Illusionist. The magnificent music evokes the feeling of mystery and wonder that surrounds the famous magician Eisenheim and it is performed brilliantly by the Czech Film Orchestra under the baton of Michael Riesman. There are some beautiful and memorable moments in the chord sequences and rhythms of the movie. Exotic themes and deep and dark melodies alternates during the different parts of the movie. It's one of those fascinating scores, just like the music the composed with Marco Beltrami for the 2015 movie Fantastic Four. The combination of the bombast of Beltrami's melodies are intertwined in the typical minimalist elements of Glass' work. Some of the exciting pieces are clearly influenced by the signature of Glass's style. One of the latest scores Glass composed is the music for the Jane Goodall documentary Jane. It was a challenging process, but the result can be seen as one of the best scores he delivered in years. The rich orchestral score consist of quietly emotional piano passages that shows the endless imagination of Glass. He provides the aural background and context that the film exists in.

Even now at 81 Philip Glass is still standing strong as one of the most fascinating and influential composers of the past century. His music can be heard all around the world and will live on forever in all the fascinating pieces he composed.