Contemporary Classical

Glass on Colbert

Last night on The Colbert Report, Steven Colbert brought in Philip Glass to assist him in a parody of. . . Philip Glass.

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We Are at War – Philip Glass
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It’s clearly a spoof of Einstein on the Beach–or “Einstein on the Beeyotch,” as Colbert says at the end of the show when he thanks Glass and mentions the recently released recording of Glass’s A Toltec Symphony.  Colbert is one of the most knowledgeable television hosts on the air when it comes to contemporary classical music–and he expects his audience to get the joke.  (He’s also on the advisory board for New York’s Symphony Space, although not necessarily for music, since they also present film, theatre, dance, and literature.)  Yet one question remains: How can Colbert present Downtown music from a studio in Midtown?  Pick a side, Colbert–we’re at war!