Heroes Symphony is a symphony (also known as Symphony No. 4 “Heroes”) composed by American composer Philip Glass in 1996 based on the album “Heroes” by David Bowie. Glass also based his earlier Low Symphony [MOVCL009] on the David Bowie album, Low. The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, percussion, harp, piano, celesta and strings.

The album includes the “Heroes” Symphony performed by American Composers Orchestra directed by Michael Riesman and conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. Like Low before it, Heroes was one of David Bowie’s most experimental and avant-garde records, so it made sense that Philip Glass would follow the Low Symphony with the “Heroes” Symphony, adapting Bowie and Brian Eno’s original, minimalistic synthesized sketches for full orchestra.

Surprisingly, Glass’ arrangements and orchestrations emphasize the icy allure of the original compositions, and the shimmering, glassy textures sound coldly beautiful. It’s an intriguing listen throughout.