Symphony No. 13 (Glass)
Symphony No. 13 (Truth in Our Time) is Philip Glass’s thirteenth symphony. Commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra as a tribute to journalist Peter Jennings, it premiered on March 20, 2022, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, conducted by Alexander Shelley.
The piece runs about 20 minutes and has three movements. Movement I is roughly eight minutes with a sonata-like form, Movement II lasts about six minutes, and Movement III uses a quintuple meter and ends with a coda, lasting about seven minutes.
The idea for the work came from Jennings’ children during a visit to Ottawa. Their aunt supported the idea, and in 2019 the NAC chose Glass to compose the piece, which he wrote over the summer of 2020.
The world premiere in Toronto was followed by a United States debut at Carnegie Hall on April 5, 2022. Ottawa saw the piece performed again on April 13–14, 2022, as part of its premiere tour.
The work is scored for a large orchestra, including woodwinds, brass, two percussionists, harp, and strings.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:31 (CET).