The Perfect American (2011)

Glass's rendering of him [Disney] in Phelim McDermott's imaginative production at the Coliseum, where the role is taken superbly by the baritone Christopher Purves, never fails to captivate.

Glass's pacing is secure, his vocal lines telling, his choral writing notably assured.

Though minimalism isn't usualyy linked to inwardness, here it certainly adds depth to the characters and somehow upholds the moral endeavour.

From the ticktock percussion through passages that evoke Sousa marches in the smalltown America that Disney idealised, to the deep, moody film noir orchestrations throbbing through much of the work this is a score deliberately at odds with the saccharine-perfect make-believe created by Disney himself.

Glass's music is as finely crafted as ever.

By most counts this is Glass' 24th opera, and it is his most personally intimate. It does what opera does best by making the larger-than-life creator of Mickey Mouse an imperfect life-size, ultimately earning our wonderment […] Glass' repetitive style is recognizable throughout, but with this opera he shows more harmonic richness than ever, which seems just right for every situation, mood or thought…this is a great American opera that needs to be seen in L.A.