Philip Glass: Glassworks (The Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman, 1982)

Glass designed this chamber suite specifically as an accessible introduction to his modular vocabulary. In Opening, oscillating arpeggios on solo piano create an illusion of perpetual motion, while later tracks like Floe and Facades introduce cascading brass, surging organs and lyrical saxophone lines. Repetitions lock into hypnotic grooves that subtly shift accents, altering emotional weight without changing basic motifs.