Decca Classics announces POINT MUSIC EDITIONS, a new vinyl series celebrating the pioneering Point Music label, known for bringing adventurous artists and unexpected musical genres together. Founded in the 1990s by composer Philip Glass’ company and Philips Classics, Point Music combined classical, rock and experimental music, creating a home for ambitious recordings that crossed traditional musical boundaries.
Presented for the first time as a vinyl collection, the series begins with the re-issue of Philip Glass’ ‘Low Symphony’, which is no longer widely available physically, to be released on Decca Classics on 29th January 2027. This arrives at a uniquely resonant moment in January 2027, marking what would have been David Bowie’s 80th birthday (8th Jan 1947), the 50th anniversary of Bowie’s original album ‘Low’ (14th Jan 1977) and Philip Glass’ 90th birthday (31st Jan 1937), creating a trilogy of major anniversaries around this landmark recording and Glass’ symphonic response to it.
Originally released by Point Music in 1993, Philip Glass’ ‘Low Symphony’ was the composer’s first symphony and a bold orchestral reinterpretation of David Bowie and Brian Eno’s innovative 1977 album ‘Low’. Performed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic and conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, the three-movement work draws on themes from the Bowie/Eno tracks ‘Subterraneans’, ‘Some Are’ (from the ‘Low’ re-release in 1991) and ‘Warszawa’, transforming the original music into a new orchestral work.
In an interview with David Bowie (1992), in which Bowie talks about being influenced by Philip Glass, Glass describes the ‘Low Symphony’ as, “a symphonic homage to a very important record” referring to Bowie’s ‘Low’ album as “a record that went beyond the niceties and categories of pop music … and pointed in a different direction.”
‘Low Symphony’ is here cut for the first time at 45rpm over three sides allowing for wider dynamics, clearer fidelity and better high-frequency tracking. The lacquers were cut at Emil Berliner Studios, in the same building where Bowie recorded ‘Heroes’ — a remarkable connection between the composer’s inspiration and the craft behind this edition. With one movement per side, this new vinyl features an etching of the album cover on the fourth side.
2027 also sees the vinyl reissue of Philip Glass’ ‘Heroes Symphony’, again inspired by David Bowie and Brian Eno and marking the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s original ‘Heroes’ album (released October 1977). ‘Heroes Symphony’ became the first piece of classical music to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2016, the year Bowie died.
The new series continues throughout the year, and beyond, with debut vinyl releases of Jaz Coleman’s Symphonic Pink Floyd (originally released in 1995) and Symphonic Led Zeppelin (originally released in 1997), both performed by the London Philharmonic and the latter celebrating its 30th anniversary. More unique, orchestral recordings of music from groundbreaking artists, performed by worldclass orchestras and soloists, are to come on the genre-defying Point Music Editions series – where musical worlds collide.
Find more information here.
