Philip Glass: The Witches of Venice

Philip Glass

AllMusic Rating
8
User Ratings (0)
Your Rating

Philip Glass: The Witches of Venice Review

by Stephen Eddins

Philip Glass' 1995 opera-ballet was created for Teatro alla Scala in collaboration with illustrator and stage designer Beni Montresor, who adapted the libretto from his 1989 children's book The Witches of Venice. The story is a fantastic tale of a boy grown from a plant in the King's garden, who passes through many trials in search of a soulmate, the plant girl. The beautifully produced CD book (it's more than a booklet) contains illustrations from Montresor's storybook, in his characteristic style of dense pen and ink crosshatching overlaid with glowing watercolor. In the tradition of Menotti's The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore, the music contains songs and choruses that advance the plot, performed by singers who are not part of the stage action. Glass' music is written largely in the effectively melodramatic and colorful style of La Belle et la bête, but with atypical interpolations of sampled sound effects. The evocative music is ideally suited for a narrative ballet and contains more broad humor than is typical for a Glass score. The singers sound like they thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to interject some camp into the more absurd moments in the story, such as the witches' preparation for their ball. No instrumental ensemble is credited, but it could safely be assumed to be the Philip Glass Ensemble. Although it is not stated explicitly in the credits, it could probably also be assumed that the recording was a result of the La Scala production, since it employs all the same singers. The recorded sound is crisp and bright.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Witches of Venice, ballet
1	The Lagoon Philip Glass	Philip Glass	01:41	Spotify Amazon
2	The Philosophers Have Arrived Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:42	Spotify Amazon
3	No Solution Philip Glass	Philip Glass	05:12	Spotify Amazon
4	The Fairies Philip Glass	Philip Glass	06:39	Spotify Amazon
5	"Life is Hard" Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:10	Spotify Amazon
6	"I'm Not a Fool" Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:12	Spotify Amazon
7	The Plant Boy's Song Philip Glass	Philip Glass	04:11	Spotify Amazon
8	The Witches Rush In Philip Glass	Philip Glass	04:12	Spotify Amazon
9	The Wind Blows Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:16	Spotify Amazon
10	The Witches Palace Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:00	Spotify Amazon
11	Inside the Palace Philip Glass	Philip Glass	01:01	Spotify Amazon
12	Ghosts and Skeletons! Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:11	Spotify Amazon
13	The Ogre Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:31	Spotify Amazon
14	Ogre's Song Philip Glass	Philip Glass	01:03	Spotify Amazon
15	Plant-Boy Flees Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:02	Spotify Amazon
16	Dance Of The Witches Philip Glass	Philip Glass	04:56	Spotify Amazon
17	Witch Mother Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:06	Spotify Amazon
18	Gondolas Bringing Guests Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:02	Spotify Amazon
19	"Away Pigeon, Away" Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:23	Spotify Amazon
20	Plant-Boy's Tears Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:03	Spotify Amazon
21	In The Chandelier Philip Glass	Philip Glass	01:44	Spotify Amazon
22	Glorious Escape! Philip Glass	Philip Glass	02:32	Spotify Amazon
23	A Happy Ending Philip Glass	Philip Glass	04:33	Spotify Amazon
24	Life is Hard, A Good Red Wine Philip Glass	Philip Glass	03:28	Spotify Amazon

blue highlight denotes track pick

Philip Glass: The Witches of Venice Review

Track Listing

Philip Glass Discography Browser