Pre-Order: James McVinnie - Glass Diptych [CD]

In Glass Diptych, organist and pianist James McVinnie explores the remarkable breadth of Philip Glass' music, from the rhythmic repetition of Dance IV and Mad Rush to the more harmonically expansive language of his later works. Both dating from 1979, these pivotal works reveal different facets of Glass's approach to repetition, transformation and musical time. Dance IV, created in collaboration with choreographer Lucinda Childs and visual artist Sol LeWitt, is particularly rooted in the interplay of music, movement and visual art, while Distant Figure (A Passacaglia for Solo Piano) further explores Glass' evolving musical language.McVinnie also presents his own organ arrangement of the Mishima Quartet, alongside Etude No. 20, bringing piano and organ together in a programme that highlights the extraordinary range of Glass' sound world. The Rieger organ at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh adds a striking palette of colours, from bright, almost synthesiser-like sonorities to powerful, resonant foundations. Following his PENTATONE debut with Dreamcatcher (2025) and Bach: Clavier-ubung III (2026), McVinnie returns with a distinctive portrait of Philip Glass.