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The middle movement, to Façades, is as serene as its predecessor is clamorous. A lyrical melody floats above a simple, slightly shifting rhythmic pattern. A shadowy frieze of girls, tracing small, varied steps, embodies the pattern; two dancers (Maria Caligari, Bart Cook) perform a sinuous pas de deux to the melody. This is a mesmerizing piece. The last segment, to a boisterous excerpt from Glass's opera Akhnaten, is what his fans call "very Jerry": arms up, fingers splayed, keep it moving, get it right the first time. Across, around, up and down the stage sweep cadres of long leapers. Despite its energy, this choreography does not have quite the impact of the first two sequences.
Audiences love Glass Pieces, and they are right. Despite all the talk about exotic influences, Glass writes likable music that is instinctively theatrical. His avant-garde operas (Einstein on the Beach) have a strong dramatic surge. Take material like that and entrust it to a magic man like Robbins, and you will get something better than Broadway, fresh as tomorrow.
—By Martha Duffy