Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I’ve long looked down on pops concerts in which orchestras play the scores of movies that are simultaneously projected on large screens. Even for films with music by luminaries like John Williams, the dubious concept seems like a lowbrow money grab.
The joke is on this snobbish commentator. On Wednesday, November 4, I paid $25 at the door for a live rendering of Philip Glass’ music synchronized to a screening of Powaqqatsi at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The experience verged on transcendent.
My sixth-row aisle seat afforded me an intimate view of the Oregon Symphony’s string section and members of the Philip Glass Ensemble including the longtime Glass associate Michael Riesman.
Glass was my gateway into classical music and he remains my favorite living composer. Powaqqatsi is only mid-tier Glass, but it fully engaged me on Wednesday. Witnessing the core Philip Glass Ensemble combine with the Symphony to reproduce the 100-minute score was thrilling.
Lisa Bielawa’s celestial voice soared over the appropriately rowdy enthusiasm of members of the Portland State University Chamber Choir. Seeing keyboardist Mick Rossi navigate Glass’ trademark repetition was equally mesmerizing.
Having seen the film as a new release in 1988, I figured I’d barely glance at the screen. Yet my worldview has dramatically expanded in the intervening decades. I monitored the images with fresh eyes.
The experience doesn’t supplant being in the presence of Glass at a 2012 recital, but I left Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall an improved person. It’s possible I’ll soon report on joining uncouth rabble to hear a live replication of John Williams’ score at a screening of Jurassic Park.