''Tower of Meaning'' is a 1983

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

album by American composer Arthur Russell, originally released on

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

's Chatham Square label. It consists of orchestral pieces intended for theatrical use, recorded in 1981 and conducted by

Julius Eastman Julius Eastman (October 27, 1940 – May 28, 1990) was an American composer, pianist, vocalist, and performance artist whose work is associated with musical minimalism. He was among the first composers to combine minimalist processes with elements ...

Background

The pieces featured on ''Tower of Meaning'' were originally intended for theater director Robert Wilson's staging of

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

' ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' in the early 1980s. The collaboration was facilitated by

but fell through after creative squabbling between Wilson and Russell; Russell was barred from rehearsals and eventually replaced by composer

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early life and career Born on 16 January 1943 in ...

. Glass then released the tapes on his own Chatham Square label in a run of 320 copies. The album is one of only two studio records released under Russell's name during his lifetime (the other is 1986's ''

World of Echo ''World of Echo'' is the second studio album by American musician Arthur Russell, released in 1986 on Upside Records in the US and in 1987 on Rough Trade Records in the UK. The album is composed primarily of Russell's vocals, cello playing, and ...

''). It was reissued in 2016 by the label Audika. In 2017,

Peter Zummo Peter Zummo (born 1948) is an American composer and trombonist. He has been described as "an important exponent of the American contemporary classical tradition." Meanwhile, he has been quoted as describing his own work as "minimalism and a whole ...

and Bill Ruyle transcribed the pieces and arranged the album for live performance; it premiered in the UK that January.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described ''Tower of Meaning'' as "an almost medievally pure music in which tone combinations of two or three notes tuned to modal/raga scales are played by various instrumental groups". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' stated that "it would be tough to claim that ''Tower of Meaning'' is one of Russell's greatest efforts", but noted that the album evinced "more of a clear grounding in a pre-existing musical lineage than anything else that Russell ever released" and "works well within its own self-imposed boundaries".

Track listing

#"Tower of Meaning" – 2:04 #"Tower of Meaning" – 6:02 #"Tower of Meaning" – 2:05 #"Tower of Meaning" – 2:50 #"Tower of Meaning" – 6:23 #"Tower of Meaning" – 3:37 #"Fragments from Tower of Meaning" – 21:39

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes. *Arthur Russell – composer, producer *

– conductor *Ray Janos – mastering *Kathleen Cooney – design

References

{{Arthur Russell 1983 albums Arthur Russell (musician) albums