Philip Glass: Itaipu – The Canyon (CD, Music On CD)

Itaipu is a place between Brazil and Paraguay and hosts a large hydro-electric dam. This album is a work of massive proportions much like the creation of the Itaipu dam. On this work Glass makes good use of a heavy brass section combined with a large chorus and is around 40 minutes in length, spread over 4 movements. The extensive choral work is written in the language of the Giuranni Indians. Glass often chooses obscure languages for the effect of distance. This is a powerful pair of compositions and it is a good coupling on this recording. On the opener “Itaipu” and the closing track “The Canyon” the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and chorus with Robert Shaw do a truly grand job of performance. It’s a superb Glass work and a real classic of the 90’s.