A Tribute to John Adams

The American John Adams (*1947) is one of the most frequently performed contemporary composers in the world. The ensemble played Adams' Shaker Loops at the Holst Sinfonietta's founding concert in 1997 and has been programming his works ever since. Unfortunately, he has only written a few pieces that a chamber ensemble can play.

However, these few works are all so good that the Holst Sinfonietta could not resist creating an entire Adams evening. A program was put together that presents three pieces from the 1990s in addition to his first published piece, the still atypical Christian Zeal and Activity from 1974, which is based on Charles Ives. The clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons (with the ensemble clarinettist Lorenzo Salvá Peralta as soloist) is a very original chamber concerto with banjo, mandolin and guitar, among others, while his rarely heard work Scratchband is a rewarding and crisp piece between rock and post-minimalism (including electric and bass guitar): Here, a band is successfully fused with a new music ensemble.

The concert concludes with John Adams' Chamber Symphony, a truly crazy and exuberantly virtuosic three-movement piece which, according to Adams, is imbued with Schönberg's 1st Chamber Symphony and music from good animated films in equal measure. It is probably one of the best pieces Adams has ever composed.

After the concert, the program will be recorded on CD for Naxos together with DLF Kultur.