ODE TO PLUTONIUM & AMELIA

PHILIP GLASS Symphony No. 6 “Ode to Plutonium” for soprano and orchestra
LAURIE ANDERSON Amelia, original version for symphony orchestra

Iva Bittová vocals (Glass)
Laurie Anderson vocals, violin, electronics
Filharmonie Brno
conductor Dennis Russell Davies

Philip Glass performed with Allen Ginsberg, accompanying the recitation of Ginsberg’s poetry with his own piano music. They had planned to set Plutonian Ode to music in this way as well. After Ginsberg’s death, Glass returned to the idea, though his original concept of piano music was transformed into a work for large orchestra, and Ginsberg’s spoken voice became a soprano solo. The three movements of the work correspond to the structure of Ginsberg’s poem. The first movement is an indictment of nuclear contamination and pollution, the second a move towards healing, and the finale the revelation achieved through personal transformation. The premiere took place on 3 February 2002 at Carnegie Hall in New York, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.

Laurie Anderson’s composition Amelia has a long performance history. The original version for large orchestra was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and premiered (under the title Songs for A.E.) at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2000, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. He later adapted the work for string orchestra and first performed this version in 2003 with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. This version was also performed in Brno in November 2019 and became the basis for Anderson’s album Amelia, recorded along with the Filharmonie Brno.