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05/31/2026
“Hourglass”
Philip Glass: Suite from “The Hours” (arr. Michael Riesman) – Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Baroklyn Strings, Rebecca Fischer (concertmaster), Simone Dinnerstein (director, piano)
Recording: Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center, New York City, New York (May 25‑26, 2025) – 56’59
naïve V 9238 – Booklet in English and French
 
Time has long intrigued writers, philosophers, creators of every stripe. A television commercial tells us that the “one thing we don’t have enough of, is time.” But a children’s book assures us that “We have all the time there is.”
Helping us navigate this labyrinth is composer Philip Glass, his “partner in time,” pianist and director, Simone Dinnerstein and her 11‑member string ensemble, Baroklyn (Baroque plus Brooklyn). This team of exceptional talent has brought to the world “Hourglass” in a beautiful reflection on time, the first album on Dinnerstein’s new label, naïve.
Two works by Glass are featured, both for piano and a small string orchestra, incorporating the added charm of harp and celeste. The first work is a suite in three movements from the film score, The Hours (2002). This much‑praised motion picture explores issues of personal identity through the lens of Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway. The Suite was arranged by Glass’s longtime close collaborator, Michael Riesman. Glass received an Oscar © nomination for the original score. I found this work deeply absorbing, performed by Dinnerstein and her Baroklynites with both crisp attention to detail and a cloud of psychological pondering, reflecting the sad but brilliant characters who inhabit Mrs. Dalloway’s day. This is nothing like the “pop film score dressed up as posh classic” treatment many movie soundtracks receive. There is a depth and concentrated energy throughout the work that demands we listen well. It reflects some of Glass’s richest insight and immerses us in an awareness and appreciation of the flow of time.
The second work is Glass’s Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2000), also in three movements. This work is less edifying, as commissions often are (“I got this commission, now I have to write it!”). I would assess this work as more of a charmer than the Suite that precedes it, but that’s not a put‑down. I’ve long wondered why upbeat art seldom gains the kudos of its more somber sister. After all, Shakespeare wrote comedies as well as tragedies.
I was, at first, puzzled by the Tirolean title of this work, but, subsequently, I learned it was commissioned by the Klangspuren Festival and the Tirol Tourist Board. While I didn’t hear any measures that were noticeably “Tirolean”, I did catch a glimpse of a theme from the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor in several places.
...Which brings me in a way to Dinnerstein’s passionate regard for the music of J.S. Bach, something she affirms in her essay in the album booklet. The pianist believes there are several affinities which connect Glass’s work to the œuvre of the Leipzig master. One of these is the ability to repurpose themes from past works in new compositions, perhaps giving a cantata theme in an early work to a keyboard later on. Another common characteristic lies in the use of polyphony and the horizontal nature of contrapuntal sounds as they snake across the written page.
This is not a mechanical approach, but it is one gleaned from a profound humanism. Glass’s indefatigable champion avers that to those who listen mindfully: Glass’s works that are filled not with boring repetitions, but with infinite variety and a loving heart. It’s what makes the difference between a hand‑crafted hourglass and a cheap factory replica, in Dinnerstein’s words, and mine.
Linda Holt
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