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Waiting for the Barbarians
Classical · 2008 · 26 tracks · 2h 13m

Waiting for the Barbarians

Philip Glass

2008 · Orange Mountain Music

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A relentless, bureaucratic dread that slowly dissolves into a shimmering, desert-hued existential crisis.

Tracklist · 26 Tracks · 2h 13m
01
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1. Prelude
5:07
01
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene One. “Here, in the dark”
6:42
02
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Two. Dreamscape no. 4
2:14
02
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene One. “In fact, we never had a prison”
6:38
03
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Two. Dreamscape no. 1
3:44
03
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Three. “What is going on?”
8:00
04
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Three. “You sent for me.”
8:49
04
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2. Prologue to Scene Four
4:58
05
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Four. “Perhaps you would be so kind”
6:40
05
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Four. “You’re working late.”
4:27
06
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Five. “Enemy, barbarian lover!”
4:42
06
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Five. “Normally speaking, we would never approve of torture…”
3:29
07
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Six. “Take off your cap”
7:12
07
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Six. “So we’re still feeding you well?”
6:10
08
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Seven. Dreamscape no. 2
2:37
08
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Seven. Dreamscape no. 5
3:42
09
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Eight. “Tell me, what has happened”
8:08
09
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Eight. “Do you like living in the town?”
8:46
10
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Nine. “…To demonstrate our strength to the barbarians”
5:45
10
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Nine. “You don’t have to go”
5:12
11
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 2, Scene Ten. “Our town is beautiful”
5:05
11
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Ten. “Did you have a good evening?”
4:09
12
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Eleven. Dreamscape no. 3
2:47
13
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Twelve. “What is it?”
2:40
14
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Thirteen. “Can you see them?” (Trip into the Mountains)
4:00
15
Waiting for the Barbarians: Act 1, Scene Fourteen. “Who gave you permission to desert your post?”
2:00
Moments Worth Listening For
The way the woodwinds spiral into a frantic, repetitive pattern during the torture scene in Act 1, creating a sense of inescapable bureaucratic cruelty.
The sudden, haunting shift into a sparse, ethereal texture during Dreamscape no. 4, where the orchestral weight vanishes into a shimmering void.
The climactic vocal delivery in 'Enemy, barbarian lover!' where the minimalist pulse finally breaks into a moment of raw, operatic confrontation.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

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