Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts paints a picture of the master at work

Philip Glass is arguably the only famous 'modern classical' composer; his driving minimalist compositions, with their swirling rhythms and repetitive motifs, are seen as accessible and almost populist, and have been embraced by the worlds of advertising and movies. In addition to his epic operas such as Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten, he's scored films such as The Truman Show, Koyaanisqatsi, Kundun and Notes on a Scandal, and has received three Oscar nominations.

But Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts, is the first real opportunity we've had to see the maestro at work. Made by Scott Hicks, director of similarly music-themed feature film Shine, Glass (recently shown on Sky Arts) is a documentary covering eighteen months of Philip's work, from writing his eighth symphony in his New York studio to attending the world premiere of his new opera in Germany. We also see him speaking with artistic collaborators and spiritual advisers including artist Chuck Close, musician Ravi Shankar and film-makers Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen.

Along the way we get a suprising amount of personal scenes, including Glass riding on the Coney Island roller-coaster, making pizzas in his Nova Scotia retreat, and playing with his young children; and friends and collaborators recalling the early years and influences such as the tragic loss of his first wife.

Dividing opinion
Glass' music, with its relentless repetition, kindergarten-style arpeggiation and elliptical lyrics, is bound to divide opinion; as he says, his early experiences put him in a position to write music 'So radical that I could be mistaken for an idiot - which I still am.' This isn't his only illuminating one-liner - asked the secret of his prolific output, he says 'Get up early and work all day - that's the only secret, isn’t it?'

Nominated for an Oscar last year, Glass is a treat for hardcore fans, but also an absorbing look at the mind of an artist at work, which deserves to be seen by a wider audience. The feature disc includes deleted and extended scenes, a trailer and a commentary by the director, while the second disc features extra interviews and over an hour of back-stage material and performances.

The 16:9 image is unremarkable, consisting as it does mainly of domestic scenes shot with available light; but the DVD transfer is clean. Sound is a choice of stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1, but though there's plenty of bass and stereo separation, there's no real use of the surround channels. There are no subtitles, which is unfortunate.

Drakes Avenue Pictures, R0 DVD, £19.99,
0n sale July 6th
HCC VERDICT: 4/5