I haven’t been blogging for a while, or doing anything at all really, and have missed so many things I wanted to go to, as I’ve been unwell. But on Friday evening I went to see Philip Glass and his Ensemble at Cambridge Corn Exchange with some of our lovely artists-in-residence. This was a last minute decision and one that was down to the helpfulness of Corn Exchange staff; it was sold out but they managed to find some space for us right at the front. It turned out to be an incredible night. The evening included an extract from the soundtrack to the film ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ which just amazed me because I first encountered that film when I was 16 or 17 and remember it having a huge effect on me; watching it on my own in a little house in rural Northern Ireland. And there I was, 30 years later watching Philip Glass himself playing it right in front me! Glass in his late 70s, as are some his long term collaborators in the Ensemble, Jon Gibson and Michael Riesman, but all of them are still incredibly dexterous and proficient. Some of the pieces were unbelievably fast and involved circular breathing and there was one section where Lisa Bielawa, who was the only person contributing voice, had to repeat the same phrase, in rapid succession, for about 20 minutes. It was amazing that her voice held the same unwavering clarity throughout. And Jon Gibson’s solo on ‘Facades’ was so gentle and tender, the skill was just incredible. Jon Gibson in fact played at the premier of Terry Riley's 'In C', in the late 1960s, a work that was performed by the Invisible Polytechnic Orchestra at our music festival in 2011. Anyway, the whole concert was a much needed joyous and uplifting experience. I think it might be time to watch ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ again. It means ‘life out of balance’. Here’s an extract.

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