I’d be interested to know how genuinely “live” this 2006 version of Philip Glass’s Music in Twelve Parts is, and how much was patched in after the event. Earlier this year I saw the Glass Ensemble play this epic at the Barbican, and from the mid-point onwards, hoarse voices and tired woodwind chops began to tell. Not that it really mattered: despite the popular image of Glass and his soporific arpeggios, Music in Twelve Parts is a soulful score, packed with dramatic contrast and virtuoso ensemble writing. Hearing seven musicians power through its challenges while attempting to transcend their physical limitations is impressive. I mention it only because here Part 12 is as flawless as Part 1!

When the Glass Ensemble recorded the work in 1993 for Nonesuch they set such a high benchmark that any new recording inevitably comes with a weight of expectation. This latest version matches the boundless energy and honed precision of the earlier performance, while also adding an attractive “lived in” seasoning to the ensemble sound. It’s no surprise that the musicians play with such instinctive understanding of Glass’s idiom – six of the seven musicians (including Glass himself) also played on the ’93 version, and Glass has worked hard to build a performance culture around his scores. And I remain convinced that Music in Twelve Parts is his masterpiece. If the purity of its conception is Ying, then the complex interweaving of all the rhythmic and harmonic techniques Glass had evolved to date makes for a powerful Yang. Art, for sure.