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Review of The Hours (Philip Glass)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you tend to relax to atmospheric classical music led by piano and strings, harmonious by nature but without clearly defined themes.

Avoid it... if you prefer scores with more sharply defined cue changes and thematic swells, or if even the most accessible material from Philip Glass won't entice you to give his music another chance.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The Hours: (Philip Glass) The highly acclaimed translation of Michael Cunningham's novel to the big screen in 2002 was more successful than anyone could have predicted, with the superb acting performances in the film catapulting it to the forefront of popular and critical attention entering a generous awards season for the picture. The film's plot revolves around the novel Mrs. Dalloway, detailing how it affects the lives of author Virginia Woolf in the 1920's, housewife Laura Brown in the 1940's, and book editor Clarissa Vaughn in the present. With the original Woolf novel the only basic connection between the three women, the story expands upon the common emotional trials that all three face. The film, despite covering 80 years in various settings between the three lead characters, follows a consist theme of melodrama in its production values. Thus, a musical score that might normally fashion three distinct musical styles, one for each of the eras, could instead maintain a less specific, but more consistent sound throughout the entire film. Cunningham had always been familiar with the work of composer Philip Glass, even exclaiming that he had listened to Glass' works while writing for a long time. As such, it was a pleasant surprise for the author that the composer was locked as a member of the crew for The Hours after the departure of its original composer, Oscar-winner Stephen Warbeck. The style of Glass' music fit the intended environment of this production quite well. A well-known crossover between the classical and film music genres, Glass had evolved into a sort of new-age classical composer with minimalistic tendencies. Any number of postmodern-related labels have been applied to his style of writing, though his film scores are known for their solid, unassuming classical consistency. Not a writer of big themes or experimentation in the realm of modern instrumentation, Glass' work had resulted in one previous Academy award nomination (Kundun) and a significant following in record stores for many decades.

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.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 57:39

• 1. The Poet Acts (3:43) • 2. Morning Passages (5:33) • 3. Something She Has to Do (3:12) • 4. 'For Your Own Benefit' (2:03) • 5. Vanessa and the Changelings (1:48) • 6. 'I'm Going to Make a Cake' (4:04) • 7. Unwelcome Friend (4:11)

• 8. Dead Things (4:24) • 9. The Kiss (3:57) • 10. 'Why Does Someone Have to Die?' (3:56) • 11. Tearing Herself Away (5:03) • 12. Escape! (3:51) • 13. Choosing Life (4:01) • 14. The Hours (7:47)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes an interesting note from author Michael Cunningham about Philip Glass and several excerpts from the book itself.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from The Hours are Copyright © 2002, Nonesuch Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 2/14/03 and last updated 3/1/09.