Theme and Performance in “Symphony No. 5” by Philip Glass
Theme and Performance in “Symphony No. 5” by Philip Glass

Summary/Abstract: Of Philip Glass's twelve symphonies - perhaps the most popular minimalistcomposer after John Cage – it is the choral Fifth, entitled "Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya",composed in the years of full maturity (the first performance took place in 1994), thatmostly impresses through its grand design, display of instruments and human voices,soloists and four choral ensembles may be considered a version of the theocratic scenariothat projects the history of mankind in the order of the divine, characteristic of thepremodern age. Glass's originality consists in the overlapping of several mythical structures -Swedish, biblical, Buddhist, Islamic, Sufi, etc. - in accordance with the holistic epistemologyof the contemporary era. Despite the Buddhist references in the title, the narrative ismodelled on the biblical archetype, from the genesis of the universe to the Last Judgmentand it ends with the vision of a future humanity bonded in brotherhood, peace andcompassion.

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