- Glass’s Etudes for Solo Piano was conceived from the beginning as a substantial cycle of piano works; however, the piece would ultimately come together in bits and pieces. It would take the composer nearly two decades to complete the collection.
- In 1994, Glass wrote the first six etudes for conductor Dennis Russell Davies and Achyn Freyer on the occasion of Davies’ 50th birthday. That same year, Glass added 10 more etudes. His overarching motivation for the project was to improve his own piano technique.
- Glass added the final four pieces in the following decade, and in 2012, the work premiered in completion. The etudes have been published in two books, each containing 10 pieces.
- Each of the 20 etudes explores the piano in a unique way.1
Sources
- Thomas May, “The Complete Piano Etudes,” Pomegranate Arts (2022), accessed October 19, 2022, https://www.pomegranatearts.com/project/the-etudes/.
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