Performance Hall Inaugural Concert
Philip Glass Ensemble

Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation

Friday, November 1, 2013, 8 PM
At the Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
In the Street and Davis Performance Hall's Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre
$40-$60 general admission, $10 students with ID and children 18 and under (SOLD OUT)

We inaugurate the new performance hall with an icon of contemporary music, international themes and film imagery, and young voices from our own community.  Through his operas, symphonies, compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen to David Bowie, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times. Powaqqatsi is a celebration of the human-scale endeavor, craftsmanship, spirituality, labor, and creativity that defines a culture. It is also a celebration of both the rareness, and the universal drumbeat to which societies move. Powaqqatsi, says filmmaker Reggio, is not about what should or shouldn’t be. “It’s an impression, an examination of how life is changing.” It is about contrasting ways of life. The film is a record of cultural diversity and transformation, presented as an integrated human symphony—and with Philip Glass’ compelling score providing counterpart, its tribal rhythms are fused by a single magisterial theme.


Inside a part of Powaqqatsi: Dr. Khaled Gad gives a call to prayer during the performance. The Moss Arts Center would like to express its gratitude to Khaled Gad, MD, PhD, MHPE, of Suez Canal University for leading the call to prayer; and Sedki Riad, PhD, PE, Virginia Tech Middle East and Northern Africa Graduate Program Director, for writing contextual notes on the call to prayer. Read Gad and Riad's explanation of the significance and meaning of the A'Than. For more information, please click here.

Music by Philip Glass
Directed by Godfrey Reggio
Performed by Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble
Conducted by Michael Riesman
Featuring the Blacksburg Children’s Chorale, Patrice Yearwood, conductor

Deeper, Global | Contemporary Music, Film



Program Notes