Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Philip Glass began his musical education in childhood, initially playing the flute. His study of composition, and his interest in atonal music, took him to Julliard, and then to Paris, where he studied under the famous French composer Nadia Boulanger.
He is well known for his repetitive, minimalist style, and for dispensing with all the formalities of classical composition. Many of his compositions are written for very small ensembles.
His most famous works for stage include a trilogy of biopic operas, focussing on men that were revolutionaries of their time. The first, Einstein on the Beach (1976) follows the life of Albert Einstein, the second Satyagraha (1980) focusses on the work of Mahatma Gandhi, and the final episode Akhnaten takes place in the 18th dynasty of Egypt, and shows episodes from the life of Pharaoh Akhnaten, who is thought of as the first person to follow a monotheistic religion. His operas dispense with any focus on plot, and instead feature original writings in ancient languages, recorded sound tracks, and his characteristic repetitive minimalism, against which a designer and director are left to tell the story.
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