Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Philip Glass – Choosing Life (from "The Hours") Arr. for Piano Solo
Here is my solo piano interpretation of “Choosing Life” by Philip Glass, arranged for piano by Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly.
The piece comes from Glass’s acclaimed score for the 2002 film The Hours (directed by Stephen Daldry, based on Michael Cunningham’s novel, and starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore).
Not all of the music in the film was composed specifically for it: earlier works by Glass, including the “Protest” theme from his opera Satyagraha and the Franz Kafka–inspired “Metamorphosis Two” from his album Solo Piano, were also featured and credited separately at the end of the film.
The soundtrack won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (ultimately losing to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers).
Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly later arranged the soundtrack for solo piano. Published in 2003 as a 64-page score, it contains most of the tracks (excluding “For Your Own Benefit,” “Vanessa and the Changelings,” and “The Kiss”).
The piano arrangement by Riesman and Muhly captures the essence of Glass’s style: repeating patterns, evolving harmonies, and an unrelenting inner pulse. Performed on solo piano, it becomes both intimate and contemplative — a distilled reflection of the original orchestral texture.
Philip Glass (b. 1937) is one of the most influential composers of our time, often associated with minimalism — though he prefers to call his work “music with repetitive structures.” Over a career spanning more than five decades, Glass has written symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber music, and film scores, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary music. His collaborations range from theater and cinema to artists such as Robert Wilson, Godfrey Reggio, Ravi Shankar, and David Bowie.
Coversart streamings / socials:
https://linktr.ee/Coversart
#philipglass #thehours #piano #ambientmusic #minimalism #classicalmusic #ambient #ambientpiano #contemporaryclassical
Philip Glass – Choosing Life (from "The Hours") Arr. for Piano Solo
Here is my solo piano interpretation of “Choosing Life” by Philip Glass, arranged for piano by Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly.
The piece comes from Glass’s acclaimed score for the 2002 film The Hours (directed by Stephen Daldry, based on Michael Cunningham’s novel, and starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore).
Not all of the music in the film was composed specifically for it: earlier works by Glass, including the “Protest” theme from his opera Satyagraha and the Franz Kafka–inspired “Metamorphosis Two” from his album Solo Piano, were also featured and credited separately at the end of the film.
The soundtrack won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (ultimately losing to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers).
Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly later arranged the soundtrack for solo piano. Published in 2003 as a 64-page score, it contains most of the tracks (excluding “For Your Own Benefit,” “Vanessa and the Changelings,” and “The Kiss”).
The piano arrangement by Riesman and Muhly captures the essence of Glass’s style: repeating patterns, evolving harmonies, and an unrelenting inner pulse. Performed on solo piano, it becomes both intimate and contemplative — a distilled reflection of the original orchestral texture.
Philip Glass (b. 1937) is one of the most influential composers of our time, often associated with minimalism — though he prefers to call his work “music with repetitive structures.” Over a career spanning more than five decades, Glass has written symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber music, and film scores, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary music. His collaborations range from theater and cinema to artists such as Robert Wilson, Godfrey Reggio, Ravi Shankar, and David Bowie.
Coversart streamings / socials:
https://linktr.ee/Coversart
#philipglass #thehours #piano #ambientmusic #minimalism #classicalmusic #ambient #ambientpiano #contemporaryclassical
