John Adams
b. 1947
Snapshot
English Deutsch
John Adams has harnessed the rhythmic energy of Minimalism to the harmonies and orchestral colours of late-Romanticism * Brought contemporary history to the opera house with his post-modern music-theatre works Nixon in China (1987) and The Death of Klinghoffer (1991) * Has addressed urgent social issues with passion and empathy, both in his operas and in such works as I Was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky, El Dorado and The Wound-Dresser * His works are much favoured by choreographers, with multiple ballet versions of Fearful Symmetries * Winner of the 1995 Grawemeyer Award for Violin Concerto * Series of recordings on the Nonesuch label * A recent survey shows him to be the most frequently performed living American composer of orchestral music
Works by John Adams include:
Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986) for orchestra
Violin Concerto (1993)
El Niño (1999-2000) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, three counter-tenors, chorus, optional childrens' chorus and orchestra
Looking ahead: A Flowering Tree receives its German stage premiere in Heidelberg (Feb); further performances of Doctor Atomic are scheduled by Netherlands Opera (10 Jun - 1 Jul) and the Metropolitan Opera (2008)
"Whenever serious art loses track of its roots in the vernacular, then it begins to atrophy." — John Adams
John Adams is represented as a conductor in North America by Ed Yim of IMG Artists and in Europe by Jane Brown of Harrison Parrott
Also visit the John Adams website at www.earbox.com
John Adams is represented as a conductor in North America by Ed Yim of IMG Artists and in Europe by Jane Brown of Harrison Parrott
Also visit the John Adams website at www.earbox.com
