With his twenty Études for solo piano, written between 1992 and 2012, Philip Glass follows in the footsteps of composers such as Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninov, and Ligeti. Glass wrote the first book of Études as an exploration of “tempi, textures, and piano techniques,” adding “At the same time, it was meant to serve as a pedagogical tool by which I would improve my piano playing.”
Étude No. 6 was commissioned in 1994 by WNYC radio for host John Schaefer’s new music program. Its original title, Now So Long After That Time, was taken from a poem by John Ashbery titled, No Longer Very Clear.
Philip Glass has said, “If I’m to be remembered for anything, it will be for the piano music, because people can play it.” Undoubtedly, few can play Étude No. 6 as well as Yuja Wang does in this Vienna recital performance:
Recordings
- Glass: Études: No. 6: Yuja Wang Deutsche Grammophon