Philip Glass

Symphony No. 5 (Glass)

Symphony No. 5 "Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya" is a symphony for chorus and orchestra by the American composer Philip Glass. It was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival, Austria and premiered August

Structure#

The symphony has a duration of roughly an hour and forty minutes is divided into twelve movements:

Instrumentation#

The symphony is scored for solo soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and bass-baritone, a children’s chorus, SATB choir, and a large orchestra consisting of piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, E clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, and strings.

Reception#

Reviewing the United States premiere, Paul Griffiths of The New York Times criticized the work’s repetition, writing: He nevertheless added:

Composer: Philip Glass