Philip Glass: Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square
Craig Morris, Trumpet
BRIDGE 9508

2019 Grammy Nominee: Best Solo Instrumental Recording

ICON (5 stars)

Craig Morris, former principal trumpet player of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has recorded brilliant solo trumpet versions of three Philip Glass classics. Morris’s new recording features works ranging from Glass’s constantly shifting Melodies (1995) to the driving minimalist rhythms and figures of Gradus (1968) and Piece in the Shape of a Square (1967). Melodies was written as incidental music for a play based on the novel, Un Captif Amoureux (Prisoner of Love) by the French author Jean Genet. Glass’s thirteen melodies cover a wide range of emotion, from touching and introspective to joyous and dancing. The visual element of Piece in the Shape of a Square, is much more a part of the composition than it is in Gradus.  The music is set up in a roughly 10’ square, with one performer on the inside of the square and one performer on the outside. The performer on the inside moves around the square in a clockwise direction, while the performer on the outside moves around in a counterclockwise direction. Virtuoso trumpeter Craig Morris plays both parts on this fascinating recording.

Reviews:

"The sound is superb—clear and with exactly the right amount of resonance and reverberation. This release is, in a word, dazzling.” - American Record Guide

“Trumpeter Craig Morris is a marvel, playing with a high level of technical expertise yet with a very personal warmth and aching panache. You know how a brass instrument can ‘approximate’ the sound of a human voice and snatches of mood? This disc is loaded with such moments.” - ICON (5 stars)

“Morris’s treatment of the free-form rhythmic structure is highly evocative and captures a youthful energy.” - BBC Music Magazine

“The 11 minutes of Gradus provides a thrilling, highly addictive overdubbing tour de force, recorded in what seems to be one impossibly long continuous breath.” - Gramophone

Melodies (1995)

Gradus (1968)

Piece in the Shape of a Square (1967)

BRIDGE 9508