Play Philip Glass's Baby Grand Piano For Free

US Spitfire Audio collaborates with the composer for LABS Glass Piano 31/01/22

Spitfire Audio has released LABS Glass Piano, a brand new collaboration with legendary composer Philip Glass. Recorded at his home in Manhattan, NYC, the team captured the sound of Glass's beloved baby grand piano -- in the same room it has occupied since he acquired it in the 1990s.

Glass's entire breadth of compositional work over the past 30 years has been written on this piano -- this includes seminal works The Piano Etudes, all of his Academy Award nominated film scores (Kundun, The Hours, and Notes on a Scandal), all 14 symphonies, operas In the Penal Colony and Galileo Galilei, among hundreds of other compositions.

A spokesperson told us, "Now available to the public for the first time, users can download and discover the unique sonic personality of Glass's piano via a range of sounds -- from the classic and beautiful Glass Grand preset, to soft and atmospheric warps, produced by the Spitfire Audio team from raw recordings. The release coincides with Philip's 85th birthday, on Monday 31st January 2022. Philip hopes this special collaboration with Spitfire Audio will allow a small view into his world of writing, practicing, and performance."

Philip Glass had this to say...

"My piano has been my piano for thirty years. I have a tuner who makes it sound the way I want it to sound. When I'm writing music, and if I play it, it'll be on this piano.

It's not just the piano and its sound. It's the room it's in, it's the density of the walls and floorboards and the temperature. It's how young or old a piano is. My piano has a heavy action. It's even how the keys are varnished. Just like people, pianos have personalities.

Especially the low parts of the piano tend to be pitches that are very clear to me. If you look at all 88 keys, the piano is different in different places. The lower octaves of my piano are not meant to be bold and aggressive. They are meant to be beautiful and spiritual, and that's how they sound."

-Philip Glass, Jan 2022

KEY FEATURES

LABS Glass Piano shares the legendary composer's piano with the world for the first time
Glass's entire breadth of compositional work over the past 30 years has been written on this piano
Recorded in Philip Glass's home studio in Manhattan
6 presets
Suited to beginners and professionals alike, the LABS interface is simple and easy to use

PRESETS