The Hallé – Philip Glass Festival

A three-day celebration of living legend Philip Glass takes place in Manchester this February, courtesy of the Hallé and the RNCM. 

Master of minimalism he may be, but there’s nothing minimalist about Philip Glass’s output. The 87-year-old American was the first composer to win a wide, multi-generational audience in the opera house, the concert hall, the dance world, in film and in popular music – simultaneously. From his popular breakthrough Glassworks (1981) to the UK premiere of his magnificent Ifè Songs, this festival, curated by world leading percussionist and conductor Colin Currie, reveals the many shades of Glass, a truly singular compositional mind.

Up first on 13 February, Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo steps onto The Bridgewater Hall stage alongside Robert Ames, a skilled interpreter of Glass’s work and ‘a super connector in modern music’ (The Guardian), to perform the UK premiere of Ifè Songs – written for Kidjo in the Yoruba language of her native Benin. We’ll also hear Glass’s fascinating Eleventh Symphony, which brings surprise after surprise as it moves from serene reflection to near-chaos, plus Days and Nights in Rocinha, a thrilling tribute to the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood.

The next day, the action moves to the RNCM, whose lunchtime concert revolves around Glass’s most well-loved composition: Glassworks. It was written in 1981 with a very specific intention: to introduce Glass’s music to a wider audience. It more than met the brief, becoming an instant global success. A six-movement chamber piece, it’s wonderfully rich and varied in its rhythms and textures, using members of all instrument families to create a shimmering, anthemic sound. A bonus comes in the form of Aguas da Amazonia, first written in 1993 for experimental Brazilian group Uakti and their handmade instruments.

Finally, we head back to The Bridgewater Hall for Frans Lanting’s LIFE: A Journey Through Time. Created by Glass in collaboration with National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting, The LIFE Symphony is a multi-media work celebrating the splendour of life on earth. With Lanting’s stunning photography projected onto the big screen and Glass’s hallmark evolving textures mirroring the ever-changing landscape of life, this one-hour immersive experience presents an emotionally-charged journey through time, from the Big Bang to the present moment. An awe-inspiring finale if ever there was one.

It’s not often that Manchester audiences get the opportunity to hear such a wealth of Glass’s music, and the richly varied programmes here really are worth celebrating. Each event is ticketed separately, with concessions and discounts available via the button below.