Rivers of a Lost Coast

Sorry to veer from fish talk, but last night Philip Glass came to the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Despite my longing to relive the epic nights of the once-youthful music journalist Cameron Crowe, I make no impasses at music criticism.

Philip Glass is most likely the most versatile film-score composer America has ever seen. I was first introduced to Glass at the UC Santa Cruz Film School where his pairing of wind instruments and piano in melodic repetition created a stirring backdrop to the conflicting stories of Randall Adams and David Harris in The Thin Blue Line. The film was also my first introduction into the world of Errol Morris, a documentary genius that revolutionized the form to the umpteenth degree in comparison to his more notable colleague Ken Burns.

Luckily for us, the relationship between Morris and Philip Glass flourished and the two reunited on A Brief History of Time and The Fog of War, two superb documentaries.

Labeled as a modern minimalist, Philip Glass helped inspire Palmer Taylor during his work on Rivers of a Lost Coast.

Last night, Glass amazed the eager Mondavi audience with a collection of pieces from his four decades of work. Although his compositions may be heavy for some, we suggest everyone pick up at least a few pieces of Glass.