Allan Kozinn reviews a young performers workshop at Carnegie led by John Adams, including a performance of his Chamber Symphony:
Another hint of Mr. Adams's Minimalist past made a cameo appearance in the Chamber Symphony - this time an insistent figure, in the style of Philip Glass, at the start of the finale. But the layers of dissonance and fast-changing rhythmic complexity were not of that world; in fact, there were moments when the piece had more in common with Stravinsky than with either Glass or Schoenberg, whose Chamber Symphony was, to some extent, Mr. Adams's model. The student ensemble played the piece brilliantly.
I'm still on my John Adams music sabbatical but I don't remember the start of the finale. I did attend the US premiere of the piece.
Here's a PDF of the application for the workshop (which shows up in my browser at 267% magnification, starting with the composer's eyes).
Adams on his work: Written for 15 instruments and lasting 22 minutes, the Chamber Symphony bears a suspicious resemblance to its eponymous predecessor, the Opus 9 of Arnold Schoenberg. The choice of instruments is roughly the same as Schoenberg's, although mine includes parts for synthesizer, percussion (a trap set), trumpet and trombone.
By the way, David Toub defends Schoenberg: That said, I feel bad for Schoenberg.
Update: In attendance, Marcus Maroney: I'm surprised that John Adams' Chamber Symphony is so popular with audiences. It's a wild, complex, dense, dissonant piece that offers little repose throughout its 20-something minutes.
and John Perkins: Although none of the pieces played rank among my favorite of Adams' work, the second movement to Road Movies did remind me of one of the reasons I like him so much. At his best, he is capable of a modern lyricism and power that, while being entirely easy to digest, also has weight and bears repeated listenings.
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