His elegant music for The Hours would gain him deserved Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, losing both to Elliot Goldenthal's arguably stronger Frida. To capture the introspective intimacy of The Hours, Glass assembled a string orchestra with an emphasis on five central performers: a pianist and string quartet. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Glass' approach to the timelessness of the story is his choice not to use the musical styles of any of the three time periods actually depicted in the film for his score. One could very easily have expected an atmosphere in tune with Elmer Bernstein's Far From Heaven (also nominated for the same awards in 2002) for The Hours, and that kind of more melodic, but equally simple score might have served the picture well. Glass, however, reaches even further back to his classical roots for the score, and that tactic succeeds to a greater degree because of its consistency in smooth, subtle motifs and classically propulsive quality rather than a recognizable Golden Age style of film music. The piano and elements of the quartet are very well performed, and Glass accomplishes a score of quiet and melancholy simplicity while never allowing the usually restrained level of volume to become a detractor. Even critics of Glass's predictable style, who state that his music is most often boring and underachieving, should take note of the remarkably maintained depth from the beginning to the end of this work. Not only does Glass nourish a level of harmony and easily accessible progressions throughout almost the entirety of the work, but he often explodes with tonal rhythmic expressions of the kind of resonance not often heard from the composer. The robust portions of The Illusionist from four years later come to mind as the most closely related cinematic material. Both "Morning Passages" and "The Hours" are full ensemble explorations of the score's harmonic, primary rhythmic progression, brilliantly engaging in their depth and superbly balanced between the players.

The midsection of the score does unfortunately meander without as much overt personality (especially when Glass' rhythms fail to maintain a sense of forward movement), and The Hours may not therefore be the most deserving score in the 2002 awards scene. But its contention cannot be questioned, and it remains one of the composer's most alluring works for film. Take note, however, about a handful of sidebars; some of the best cues on the album are inspired by other works (by Glass or otherwise), including the powerful low-octave piano performance in "I'm Going to Make a Cake" and the pair of "Tearing Herself Away" and "Escape!" (the former not appearing in the film and the latter adapting temp track usage). All of these inspirations are noted on the soundtrack album's packaging. Also be aware that the piano performances in the film are different from those heard on the album; in the final mix of the film, David Arch performs, and on album, Michael Riesman performs and produces. In sum, Glass' music may only develop simplistic rhythmic motifs as themes, but the constant movement of those ideas succeeds in the place of a theme. No more accessible Glass music exists than in the aforementioned highlights mentioned above, music so surprisingly complex and emotionally compelling in its subdued environment that it requires repeat listens to fully appreciate. Glass' music can be so abstract and/or cerebral at times that he completely turns off collectors of more traditional film music, but The Hours transcends this problem because of its relatively easy chord progressions. And while some might detract from the quality of Glass' work because of his employment of these pleasurable shifts, the detailed layers of his rendering more than compensates for whatever qualms you may have about structure. The quality of the recording is outstanding, bringing warmth to each of the score's contributing performers. On album, the score translates into a solid and relaxing hour of harmonious and crisp classical performances without even so much as a single note that could wake a sleeping person in the next room.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download