Happy Birthday Philip Glass

Philip Glass, Kiev Restaurant, 2nd Ave & East 7th St., New York City, June 10, 1993. Photo c. Allen Ginsberg Estate.

Philip Glass celebrates his 75th birthday tonight in New York at Carnegie Hall with a special concert (and the US premier of his 9th Symphony, expertly conducted, we don’t doubt, by Dennis Russell Davies). There’ll be more celebrations later this month, including a five-night celebration at the Park Avenue Armory, New York, (“the Tune-in Music Festival”), which will include – and we’ve mentioned this before – collaborations by Patti Smith and Philip on the 24th, and with Bill Frisell, on the night before (that’d be the Thursday). Frisell and ensemble will be playing a work he composed to accompany a reading of Allen’s poem, “Kaddish”. Stage designs will be by Ralph Steadman, the event will be produced by Hal Willner. We’ll have more on that, and on Patti’s contribution, (and, indeed, on Philip’s contribution!) closer to the date – meanwhile.. Happy Birthday Phil !

– oh, and check out this interview with him by Gazelle Emami in the Huffington Post.