by Ben Hogwood, using text from the press release
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.
A special note about the organ:
The present St Giles’ organ was built in 1992 by the Austrian firm of Rieger Orgelbau, in consultation with Herrick Bunney and Peter Hurford. The instrument, with its distinctive case of Austrian oak designed by Douglas Laird, stands in the South Transept.
The 1992 organ was completely new, except for the Pedal Open Wood 16’ and the Bombarde 32’ which were retained from the previous instrument (Willis III 1940). In addition, the lowest seven pipes of the old 32’ Double Open Wood are mounted at the back of the case and form the bass of the Untersatz 32’ – the remaining metal pipes of which form part of the façade.
“Organs vary from place to place more than any other instrument and searching for one which embodies the heart of any particular music for the permanence of a recording is a complex, painstaking challenge. The Edinburgh Rieger is a feast for both the ears and eyes; an extraordinary modernist instrument from the late neo-classical period, with an array of bright synthesisery colours, broad bass tones and a generous foundational basis, topped with Rieger’s characteristic transparent yet fiery reed stops. The organ sits in a truly opulent acoustic setting too. My thanks go to my friend Liam Byrne for his expert capturing of all of these details in this recording.” – James McVinnie
Glass Diptych is due for release on Pentatone on 15 January 2027 – for more information and purchase options visit the Pentatone website
Published post no.3,076 – Thursday 12 November 2026
