Metamorphosis
I haven’t set and listened to a record, without other distractions, in a long time. Tonight, I set down and pulled out a copy of Solo Piano, Philip Glass’s most intimate and striking recording. It’s just the composer, at a keyboard, working through some of his compositions. The opening piece, a five part suite, is entitled “Metamorphosis” and has brought me back from the edge a number of times. It didn’t disappoint, once again.
While all of Glass’s music can be thought of as “cinematic” (a term that post-rock has largely castrated), “Metamorphosis” is, perhaps, the most imagistic and evocative of his body of composition. The repeating piano phrases evoke a sense of mystery, magic, and melancholy—all things tied up with change, I think. I’ve been more aware of the power of this piece ever sense it was used as the score to “Valley of Darkness,” probably the best episode of Battlestar Galactica to date. Once again, this music has been able to help me see through a possibly painful situation and glimpse the wonder that surrounds us all.
