he typically takes a traditional topos – a standard story or situation – and interprets it with a contemporary slant. in "caligula", for example, the modern twist is that the emperor is not mad but cruel entirely by choice. in "joseph süss", the story of a jew executed after being made a scapegoat at a secret trial over 250 years ago, the story reflects not only the germany of 1738 but that of 1933 to 1945. the darker side of human nature is a recurring theme in glanert's work. "i look at people as animals because sometimes they behave as animals, as you know", he said of one of his larger orchestral pieces, the "theatrum bestiarum".