Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Please note that the previously advertised date of February 18 was incorrect; this screening is happening on February 17. We apologize for the confusion.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is based on the life and work of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, interweaving episodes from his life with dramatizations of segments from his books. A 1985 American/Japanese film co-written and directed by Paul Schrader, the film was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, with a score composed by Philip Glass and partially performed by the Kronos Quartet. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Philip Glass, moderated by Bethold Hoeckner of the Department of Music.

(Paul Schrader, 1985, 35mm, 121 min.)

Through his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen to David Bowie, University of Chicago alumnus Philip Glass (AB’56) has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times. He has composed more than twenty operas; eight symphonies (with others already on the way); two piano concertos and concertos for violin, piano, timpani, and saxophone quartet and orchestra; soundtracks to films ranging from new scores for the stylized classics of Jean Cocteau to Errol Morris’s documentary about former defense secretary Robert McNamara; string quartets; and a growing body of work for solo piano and organ. He has collaborated with Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, and Doris Lessing, among many others. He presents lectures, workshops, and solo keyboard performances around the world, and continues to appear regularly with the Philip Glass Ensemble.

Glass will be in residence February 18–20 as a Presidential Arts Fellow. Events include a performance of The Complete Piano Etudes and a public conversation with Augusta Read Thomas on artistic collaboration. Details at arts.uchicago.edu/philip-glass-residency