The Complete Piano Etudes By Philip Glass - Timo Andres, Anton Batagov, Aaron Diehl, Daniela Liebman, Jenny Lin, Maki Namekawa, Sofi Paez, Christian Sands, Kai Schumacher
“If I’m to be remembered for anything, it will be for the piano music, because people can
play it.” PHILIP GLASS
Philip Glass's piano études are modern classics. 20 pieces, sometimes meditative, sometimes
rhythmic, sometimes romantic. Music that is not complicated, yet difficult to play. The famous
U.S. composer has inspired artists from almost all genres with this. Now, ten renowned pianists from
all over the world are interpreting the 20 études in the Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg
and a few days later in the Philharmonie in Berlin – this has not happened in Germany in this form
before. A spectacular evening and a captivating journey into the enchanting world of Philip Glass are
guaranteed. The performing artists are mostly friends and long-time companions of the composer.
They come from diverse backgrounds: classical, modern classical, contemporary, or jazz. A variety that
corresponds to the composer’s oeuvre, as each étude exhibits rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic
peculiarities.
With the études, Glass moves within an old tradition: Already Scarlatti and Chopin, but also Ligeti
and Cage composed such studies as musically challenging exercises.
“Book 1 (Études nos. 1 to 10) served a dual purpose - I wanted to explore a variety of tempi,
textures and piano techniques, but I also thought of it as a pedagogical tool to improve my
piano playing. In either case, the Book has achieved its goal. I´ve learned a lot about the
piano, and by working on this work I´ve become a better performer.
Then new projects came along, which interrupted my work on the studies for several years.
Perhaps for this reason, when I resumed, I saw that the music was following a different path.
If Book 1 had served to settle personal questions of piano technique, the music of Book 2
soon heralded a series of new adventures in harmony and structure.
In this way, Books I and II, taken as a whole, offer a veritable trajectory encompassing a
wide range of music and technical ideas.” PHILIP GLASS
Philip Glass
He is considered one of the founders of Minimal Music. Philip Glass, born in 1937 in Baltimore,
Maryland, as the son of a librarian and a record dealer, has always rejected this genre classification.
He prefers to call himself a composer of “music with repetitive structures.”
Glass's first instrument was the violin. By the age of 15, he was studying mathematics and
philosophy, later piano at the famous Juilliard School of Music in New York, and then composition
with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. A stay in India and the acquaintance with sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar
would shape Glass's compositions for a long time.
Other important models for him were Bach and Schubert, with the latter shares the same
birthday: January 31. The work of the “Jewish Buddhist” includes numerous operas, symphonies,
diverse string quartets as well as film compositions (including “The Truman Show”) and chamber music
programs.
Philip Glass's influence on the music of the 20th and 21st centuries is hard to quantify. Artists like
Brian Eno and David Bowie, but also Aphex Twin or Bryce Dessner cite Glass as an important source
of inspiration.
Timo Andres
Born in 1985. Andres is a Grammy-nominated pianist straddling pop, classical, and contemporary,
who has collaborated multiple times with Sufjan Stevens. Andres has played a significant role in the
2023 published book “Philip Glass Piano Etudes.” He is a long-time companion of Glass and plays
his études worldwide.
Anton Batagov
Born in 1965. Batagov is considered a leading Russian composer and pianist of contemporary music.
He brought works by Philip Glass and Steve Reich to Russia and is a close associate as well as an
important interpreter of Glass. The composer’s film music and études have long been part of Anton
Batagov's repertoire.
Aaron Diehl
Born in 1985. Diehl has redefined the boundaries between jazz and classical, he has been praised
for his “melodic precision, harmonic scholarship, and elegant restraint” (NY Times). He has already
shared the stage with Philip Glass, but also performed as a soloist for large symphony orchestras.
Daniela Liebman
Born in 2002. Liebman has established herself as an eloquent and sensitive artist. The Mexican
pianist made her orchestral debut at the age of eight and has since performed with more than thirty
orchestras on four continents. She has already recorded études No. 1 and No. 2.
Jenny Lin
Born in 1973. Lin's discography includes more than 50 recordings, from the classical piano canon
to Broadway songs. Additionally, she wrote “Melody’s Mostly Musical Day,” a children's picture book
with classical piano pieces. She was inspired by Philip Glass for a commission: “The Etudes Project.”
Maki Namekawa
Namekawa is one of the leading pianists of our time. As a soloist and chamber musician, she
regularly performs in major international concert halls. In 2018, she released her recording of
Glass's soundtrack “Mishima.” Glass composed his first Piano Sonata specifically for Maki Namekawa,
which she premiered in 2019 at the Piano Festival Ruhr.
Sofi Paez
Sofi Paez is a pianist and singer-songwriter from San José, Costa Rica. She studied at the
Cuban Instituto Superior De Arte. Her debut “Silent Stories” was released in 2024 as the first
release from Ólafur Arnalds' newly founded label OPIA. Sofi experiments with a mix of piano and her
voice, both in Spanish and English, always seeking new ways of expression. Her pieces are equally
inspired by minimalism and the inexhaustible variety of nature.
Christian Sands
Born in 1989. Sands was considered a child prodigy in jazz. He began playing piano at
the age of four and recorded his debut album at twelve. At seventeen, he played a duet with Oscar
Peterson. At twenty, he was nominated for a Grammy for the first time. About Philip Glass, he says:
“His études are always challenging, and have enabled me to further develop my pianistic abilities.”
Kai Schumacher
Born in 1979. Schumacher combines influences from classical, pop, punk, and avant-garde into
a unique auditory experience. He gained fame with interpretations of Rzewski, Cage, or Reich. He
also plays prepared piano and explores acoustic perception. With the post-rock band Kokomo and the
project “Glasswalls,” he has connected classical strings, electric guitars, and piano.
The Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass is a production of Pomegranate Arts and is hosted in
Germany by the Konzertdirektion Palme
Entry: 7:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
