Philip Glass
Operas Einstein on the Beach (1976) Satyagraha (1980) The Photographer (1982) Akhnaten (1983) the CIVIL warS (1984) The Juniper Tree with Moran (1985) The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 (1988) 1000 Airplanes on the Roof (1988) Hydrogen Jukebox (1990) The Voyage (1992) Monsters of Grace (1998) Galileo Galilei (2002) The Sound of a Voice (2003) Waiting for the Barbarians (2005) Appomattox (2007) Kepler (2009)
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1000 Airplanes on the Roof is a melodrama in one act by Philip Glass which featured text by David Henry Hwang and projections by Jerome Sirlin. It is described by Glass as "a science fiction music drama".

The work was commissioned by the Donau Festival, Krems an der Donau, The American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia, and West Berlin City Council in 1988. The opera premiered on July 15, 1988, at the Vienna Airport in Hangar #3. The performance featured vocals by Linda Ronstadt and was conducted by Michael Riesman. The US premiere took place in September 1988 at The American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia and went on to play in 40 US cities, including New York, Boston and Chicago.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Recording 3 Book 4 References

[edit] Synopsis

The drama is set in New York City with a sole character, "M", who recalls encounters with extraterrestrial life forms, including their message:

"It is better to forget, it is pointless to remember. No one will believe you. You will have spoken a heresy. You will be outcast."

In the staged production, "M" performs in the midst of a three dimensional, holographic set. In the classic sense of the word melodrama, the role is performed by an actor in a spoken monologue over music. Although in the world premiere, "M" was played by a male actor, the character was played alternately by female actor Jodie Long and male actor Patrick O'Connell in many of the US performances.

[edit] Recording

• Philip Glass: 1000 Airplanes on the Roof (The Philip Glass Ensemble and Linda Ronstadt; Martin Goldray, Music Direction), 1992. Virgin 91065-2

[edit] Book

The libretto and images of the original set are published in:

• Philip Glass, David Henry Hwang and Jerome Sirlin (Introduction by John Howell), 1001 Airplanes on the Roof, Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith Book, 1989 ISBN 0879053437

[edit] References

• 1000 Airplanes on the Roof at PhilipGlass.com. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
• Hedy Weiss Philip Glass pilots 'Airplanes' into inner reaches of the mind, (Review of the US premiere in Philadelphia), Chicago Sun-Times, September 29, 1988. Retrieved via subscription July 5, 2008.
• John Rockwell, A Mixing of Media From Philip Glass (Review of the New York premiere performance, New York Times, December 16, 1988. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
• Kevin Kelly, 'Airplanes' can't sustain its fancy flights, (Review of the Boston premiere performance), The Boston Globe, September 20, 1989. Retrieved via subscription July 5, 2008.
• James Schellenberg, Review of the book and CD, 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, Challenging Destiny, March 2001. Retrieved July 5, 2008.

v • d • e The works of David Henry Hwang Full-length plays FOB (1980) · Family Devotions (1981) · Rich Relations (1986) · M. Butterfly (1988) · Face Value (1993) · Golden Child (1996) · Peer Gynt (1998, with Stephan Muller; from Henrik Ibsen) · Tibet Through the Red Box (2004, from Sis) · Yellow Face (2007) Short plays The Dance and the Railroad (1981) · The House of Sleeping Beauties (1983, from Kawabata) · The Sound of a Voice (1983) · As the Crow Flies (1986) · Bondage (1992) · Trying to Find Chinatown (1996) · Bang Kok (1996) · Merchandising (1999) · Jade Flowerpots and Bound Feet (2001) Film/television Blind Alleys (1985, with Kimball) · M. Butterfly (1993) · Golden Gate (1994) · The Lost Empire (2001) · Possession (2002, with Jones and LaBute, from Byatt) Music theatre 1000 Airplanes on the Roof (1988, with Glass and Sirlin) · The Voyage (1992, with Glass) · The Silver River (1997, with Sheng) · Aida (2000, with Woolverton & Falls, John and Rice, from Verdi) · Flower Drum Song (2001, with Rodgers and Hammerstein, from Fields, Hammerstein, and Lee) · Ainadamar (2003, with Golijov) · The Sound of a Voice (2004, with Glass) · Tarzan (2006, with Collins, from Burroughs) · Alice in Wonderland (2007, with Chin, from Carroll) · The Fly (2008, with Shore)