The continuing late-life creativity of
Philip Glass
is something to celebrate. The
Symphony No. 12 ("Lodger")
, which premiered in 2019 when
Glass
was 82, grew from earlier projects, both on the part of
and for versatile West African vocalist
Angelique Kidjo
; she had recently participated in a tribute to
Talking Heads
producer
Brian Eno
, the producer of
David Bowie
's
Low
and
Heroes
albums, both of which had furnished raw material for
'
Symphony No. 1 ("Low")
Symphony No. 4 ("Heroes")
, respectively. Yet the
Lodger symphony
, based on the third album in
Bowie
Eno
-produced trilogy, is a different animal. Where the two earlier albums inserted the
/
material into
' characteristic minimalist textures, the
Symphony No. 12
is a genuine set of orchestral songs, with
's texts, some of which have a political tinge, offered uninterrupted.
is recognizable enough as the composer, but there is a new rhythmic energy perhaps attributable to the work's connection to rock music.
Kidjo
cultivates a kind of flat vocal effect; she is not simply performing parts in an instrumental structure. The conductor here is
Dennis Russell Davies
, leading the
Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
; it will be hard to improve on his
-approved work, but it is notable that other conductors have already led performances of this work. Well worth hearing as testimony that
has not yet reached the bottom of his bag of tricks. ~ James Manheim