In celebration of Philip Glass’s 90th birthday, Máire Carroll plays a carefully curated selection of his piano études, spanning the two-decade period it took him to write them.

Philip Glass Piano Études

No 12 in D minor
No 1 in G minor
No 2 in C
No 10 in G
No 5 in F minor
No 6 in F minor
No 16 in G minor
No 4 in D minor
No 15 in D
No 20 in C

Carroll is one of the most accomplished performers of Glass’s étude in the world. Her acclaimed album of his complete étude canon, released in 2024, was chosen by the Scotsman as one of the top five classical music records of the year: “She does everything Glass asks for, then applies the expert pianist’s touch”. BBC Music Magazine described the record as “..a testament to her achievement, in performances that also always stay true to the spirit of the composer” while International Piano Magazine stated ‘the playing on this…album serves Glass’s aesthetic with sincere and mastery integrity’.