Noted composer Glass performs at Annenbers

While Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete played on a large screen in the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theatre last night, the captivating music of world-famous composer Philip Glass filled the auditorium. Before a sellout crowd of more than 1,000 students, faculty and community members, Glass led his musicians and performers -- The Philip Glass Ensemble -- in the operatic version of the film. Prior to the performance, Glass discussed the creation of his opera and his prolific career with more than 20 students and faculty at the Annenberg Center. The composer talked about the process of translating Cocteau's movie into musical form. "It was very interesting to hear from the artist's mouth," said College sophomore and Philomathean Society Officer Rob Gilmore. "It was nice to hear his interpretations on Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and his inspiration for the score." Glass explained the difficulty he faced in translating the film into opera. "If opera can be based on plays and poetry, could it be based on a movie?" Glass said he asked himself while creating the score. "In this opera, the singers become the interpreters of the film." Glass added that the hardest part of composing the opera was the process of synchronizing the original film with the music. Last night's audience saw the results as the singers' words corresponded to the dialogue in the film. Thea Diamond, director of education for the Annenberg Center, said she was excited to have Glass speak and perform at the University. "I think it was an exceptional opportunity for the students to meet one of the pre-eminent American composers of the day," Diamond said. "That in itself was thrilling. "Also, I was intrigued by what he had to say about the creative process and how he composed the score to the opera," Diamond added. "Anyone who has tried to make something up knows how difficult it is." La Belle et la Bete lasted 90 minutes and elicited a standing ovation from the crowd in the Zellerbach Theatre. "It exceeded my expectations," Diamond said. "Having seen the film with [Glass'] music wedded to it, I almost can't imagine seeing it [again] without the music." Glass' introductory talk was sponsored by the Annenberg Center, the Philomathean Society and the King's Court/English House Perspectives on Humanities Society.