What an exquisite piece of music. I have always meant to delve further into Glass so thank you for this one Michael.
I had never heard of Brian Buczak so I am also grateful to read about someone who definitely warrants further investigation by me!
It's impossible to quantify the devastating effect that AIDS had on the arts. I will never forget reading a novel called Plays Well With Others by Alan Gurganus, in which a young man says that he has to keep buying new address books because all of his friends keep dying of AIDS. It was terrifying.
Thanks for this important piece and, as ever, for more wonderful music. x
Thank you, Jules — I’m glad this essay has inspired further interest in Glass and Buczak!
I’ll have to seek out that novel. The passage you mention reminds me of a character from Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, who after hearing the news of a friend’s death, removes their contact card from his Rolodex and places it in a desk drawer — by the end of the play the drawer is filled with piles and piles of cards. It’s such a dizzying sense of loss to comprehend. 💙
Hi, Michael. I confess, I’ve never been a great fan of Phillip Glass’s music, but I found this quartet very moving, especially after reading your sensitive commentary, which put it in context. I especially liked Part 3. I was born the same year as Brian Buczak, and lived in NYC during the 80s. I worked at the Joseph Patelson Music House behind Carnegie Hall. We lost a lot of people to AIDS there, many talented musicians and artists. Thank you as always, for sharing this. A new discovery for me.
Oh Anne, thank you for sharing this slice of your history. Patelsons was one of my favorite shops on earth, and I was so gutted when it closed. I loved the sense of community there — how the staff would get to know the regulars (especially if you placed as many special orders as I did). My heart breaks for all the loss you experienced during that time. 💙
I’ll also confess that my road to loving Glass’s music was slow-moving at first. But once I heard the Third String Quartet and the Piano Etudes, everything changed. I love the worlds his music creates at that intimate scale.
Michael, this is just so poignant and, well, important. I came of age as AIDS became a national talking point BUT ALSO when wearing a red ribbon was a symbol of support and inclusiveness. I was young but this time period had such an influence on me. Never did I think we’d go backwards after so much progress. And that’s because I’m shamefully naive. This Glass piece sounds like the anxiety that has undoubtedly trembled under the surface of every person who is outside of the hetero and/or cis sphere, no matter who is in charge. It’s disheartening. It’s outrageous. But there are good humans like you who continue to give stories like these the light they deserve. Thank you 💙
Thank you, Katie — I'm glad this essay and Glass's music resonated with you. I'm thankful for you bringing up the AIDS ribbon. It's very easy to get weighed down by the devastation the disease has wrought, but it's so important to remember all the advocacy and banding together that followed — from ACT UP's protests to the art created by Gran Fury and Silence = Death Project that raised awareness of the plague. We need to hold the glimmers of hope these organizations offer as we move into this new chapter. 💙
I agree and I’m so humbled and awe-struck by people who continue to fight the hard fight no matter how bleak it looks, or rather *because* of how bleak it looks.
What an exquisite piece of music. I have always meant to delve further into Glass so thank you for this one Michael.
I had never heard of Brian Buczak so I am also grateful to read about someone who definitely warrants further investigation by me!
It's impossible to quantify the devastating effect that AIDS had on the arts. I will never forget reading a novel called Plays Well With Others by Alan Gurganus, in which a young man says that he has to keep buying new address books because all of his friends keep dying of AIDS. It was terrifying.
Thanks for this important piece and, as ever, for more wonderful music. x
Thank you, Jules — I’m glad this essay has inspired further interest in Glass and Buczak!
I’ll have to seek out that novel. The passage you mention reminds me of a character from Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, who after hearing the news of a friend’s death, removes their contact card from his Rolodex and places it in a desk drawer — by the end of the play the drawer is filled with piles and piles of cards. It’s such a dizzying sense of loss to comprehend. 💙
Re the novel, Aaron Copland makes an appearance.
Hi, Michael. I confess, I’ve never been a great fan of Phillip Glass’s music, but I found this quartet very moving, especially after reading your sensitive commentary, which put it in context. I especially liked Part 3. I was born the same year as Brian Buczak, and lived in NYC during the 80s. I worked at the Joseph Patelson Music House behind Carnegie Hall. We lost a lot of people to AIDS there, many talented musicians and artists. Thank you as always, for sharing this. A new discovery for me.
Oh Anne, thank you for sharing this slice of your history. Patelsons was one of my favorite shops on earth, and I was so gutted when it closed. I loved the sense of community there — how the staff would get to know the regulars (especially if you placed as many special orders as I did). My heart breaks for all the loss you experienced during that time. 💙
I’ll also confess that my road to loving Glass’s music was slow-moving at first. But once I heard the Third String Quartet and the Piano Etudes, everything changed. I love the worlds his music creates at that intimate scale.
Michael, this is just so poignant and, well, important. I came of age as AIDS became a national talking point BUT ALSO when wearing a red ribbon was a symbol of support and inclusiveness. I was young but this time period had such an influence on me. Never did I think we’d go backwards after so much progress. And that’s because I’m shamefully naive. This Glass piece sounds like the anxiety that has undoubtedly trembled under the surface of every person who is outside of the hetero and/or cis sphere, no matter who is in charge. It’s disheartening. It’s outrageous. But there are good humans like you who continue to give stories like these the light they deserve. Thank you 💙
Thank you, Katie — I'm glad this essay and Glass's music resonated with you. I'm thankful for you bringing up the AIDS ribbon. It's very easy to get weighed down by the devastation the disease has wrought, but it's so important to remember all the advocacy and banding together that followed — from ACT UP's protests to the art created by Gran Fury and Silence = Death Project that raised awareness of the plague. We need to hold the glimmers of hope these organizations offer as we move into this new chapter. 💙
I agree and I’m so humbled and awe-struck by people who continue to fight the hard fight no matter how bleak it looks, or rather *because* of how bleak it looks.