Philip Glass - Mad Rush

Background
-sixth track in Philip Glass Solo Piano album
-Philip Glass wrote this piece based on an earlier organ piece during 1979 and
-The composition was inspired by the Tibetan Buddhism, when Philip Glass went to India and encountered with the Tibetan refugees.
- The composition consists of two different themes, repeating one after another.
- The first theme has a peaceful and calm tone while the other theme has a faster pace and a frantic melody. The two themes represent
the wrathful and peaceful deities in Buddhism.

First performance of Mad Rush

-Mad Rush was first performed in the 14th Dalai Lama in New York City.
- At that time, Philip Glass was informed to compose a piece of music with an indefinite period of time without the audience notice any
delay or errors, since the schedule of the event was unclear.
-As a result, Philip Glass came up with Mad Rush and performed it publicly at the very first time.

Reviews
When the Mad Rush was first performed at 14th Dalai Lama in New York City, the audience were overwhelmed by the flowing melody,
contrast in dynamics, unique rhythm.
1. Melody
The flowing melody reveals a passion often absent in Glasss own creations and interpretations
2. Texture
The textures in the piece are transparent as they change quickly all the time , which makes the range of modulations between keys
broader and more engaging.

3.Dynamics
Mad rush contains many colours, such subtle gradations of dynamics, which shows the contrast between the two themes.

4. Rhythm
Glass understood the rhythms of modern life in a ceaselessly churning metropolis
Mad Rush also contains that urban feeling but is quite meditative at the same time.
 Despite the musical parameters used, many other techniques were shown in Mad Rush.
By the use of virtuosic fingerwork in the piece, the Glass creates not a feeling of agitation but a deeply serene state of mind. Furthermore,
minimalism techniques were applied, as shown on the right.

Techniques used

Location Technique Extracts

Bar 5-6 Ostinato
The melody was
repeated twice in two
bars.

Bar 93-108 Drone

A long note was held on
the right hand.
Bar 9-20 Polyrhythm
-This refers to melodies
with different meter
played at the same time.

-In this score,Two beats

are played with one hand
and three with the other.