Enter a hall of mirrors, where past and present forever recur.

For Philip Glass’s 90th anniversary, Manchester Collective give their unconventional take on the musical icon – by pairing him with an artist unafraid of big metal and classical sounds.

Glass stands as a towering figure not just in minimalism but contemporary culture, having collaborated with everyone from Martin Scorsese to Aphex Twin. Encounter the end and beginning of his 20th-century quartets, from early dissonance to later musical freedom and his trademark lyrical repetition.

His music is flanked by Rylan Gleave. Working across doom metal, experimental and orchestral
music, he’s established himself as a fearless performer and composer. Expect haunting vocals and a dark, imaginative take on an ancient prayer, alongside a drone-drenched new work for string quartet and voice. Providing a shaft of light is Edmund Finnis’ ‘Devotions’.

Part of Manchester Collective’s Glass Reframed series

Glass Reframed is supported by the Leche Trust and Maria Björnson Memorial Fund. Rylan Gleave’s new work is commissioned by Manchester Collective with support from the Cockayne Foundation and Vaughan Williams Foundation.

Programme

Rylan Gleave Kyrie Eleison, All Men Unto Me
Philip Glass String Quartet No. 1, Part I.
Edmund Finnis ‘Devotions’ String Quartet No. 3
Rylan Gleave New commission
Philip Glass String Quartet No. 5