EMI’s “American Classics” series is bringing together some very worthwhile recordings from their back catalog at mid-price. This new Adams collection might very well serve as a primer for the man’s music if you don’t already have other recordings. As for me, I have been growing in my appreciation of Adam’s music over the last several years, especially as he seems to be reaching out in his style and trying new things, not content to sit on the laurels of past minimalism. Nevertheless, as some of this music is earlier in his career it strikes me in different ways.
Grand Pianola Music is one of the best. Winds, brass, percussion, sopranos, and two pianos music almost had Adams apologizing at the premiere, though the notes tell us that he came to admire it for its boldness. I love it—it has a special verve and assertiveness that sets your feet tapping without moving you into boredom. Shaker Loops is the earliest work here, and perhaps one of the most famous, though I must confess that this piece, despite its rather attractive title, seems to me vacant of any long term interest, and at 25 minutes is much ado about nothing, as the repetition of the tape loops leads one in a circle without much substantial change in tone. The Chairman Dances was not really part of the opera Nixon in China, but a sort of outtake where Madame Mao, who was a former film star and instigator of the notorious “cultural revolution”, comes to a presidential banquet, begins a foxtrot, and asks Chairman Mao to step out of his portrait and dance with her.
Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a popular (deservedly so) work of speedy proportions that is a real Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and has proved very well-liked in the concert hall ever since its inception. All of these pieces are nicely recorded and played, and I can’t think of a better introduction to this composer, Shaker Loops and all. If you want to experiment with Adams, go for it.
— Steven Ritter
