Adams: Harmonielehre, The Chairman Dances, Two Fanfares

1	Harmonielehre, for orches
2	Harmonielehre, for orches
3	Harmonielehre, for orches
4	The Chairman Dances, foxt
5	Tromba Lontana, fanfare f
6	Short Ride in a Fast Mach
Adams: Harmonielehre, The Chairman Dances, Two Fanfares
1.	Harmonielehre, for orchestra 40:30
	Composed by John Adams
	Performed by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Simon Rattle
2.	The Chairman Dances, foxtrot for orchestra 12:47
	Composed by John Adams
	Performed by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Simon Rattle
3.	Tromba Lontana, fanfare for orchestra 4:07
	Composed by John Adams
	Performed by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Holland and Wesley Warren
	Conducted by Simon Rattle
4.	Short Ride in a Fast Machine, fanfare for orchestra 4:23
	Composed by John Adams
	Performed by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Simon Rattle

Barnes & Noble

John Adams' Harmonielehre is the first "minimalist" symphony. Adams' earliest works followed the "pure" minimalism of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, but he soon found the strictures of this style limiting. So with each new composition, he pushed the boundaries a bit farther, either by adapting established forms or by creating his own. For "Harmonielehre," he took the basic structure of a symphony, dispensed with the traditional thematic development, and produced a piece as tight, dramatic, and powerful as any symphony in the repertory. The Chairman Dances -- an offshoot of Adams' opera Nixon in China -- is a slinky, slithering foxtrot with a shimmering orchestration that evokes winking Chinese lanterns. As for Short Ride in a Fast Machine, the composer has said: "You know how it is when someone asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn't?" -- which should give you a good idea of the music's exhilarating zip. Simon Rattle puts the pedal to the metal with the Birmingham orchestra, steering through this music with the skill and verve of a Formula One racer. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

Adams' Harmonielehre -- or "Harmony Teachings" -- derives its title from Arnold Schoenberg's 1911 book of the same title. Far in technique from Schoenberg's 12-tone style, yet separating from the minimalist school of composition, "Harmonielehre" in its three movements shows Adams returning to some of his finer works of the past and bursting forth with bright, energetic trumpet E minor chords in inconsistent rhythms. A darker second movement follows ("The Anfortas Wound"), followed by a bright and shimmering third movement, "Meister Eckhart and Quackie." Other pieces on this recording include "The Chairman Dances," featuring lines and phrases from Adams' opera Nixon in China -- an orchestral foxtrot between the Chairman and Mrs. Mao Tse Tung. Romantic and danceable, utilizing Chinese pentatonics. Two fanfares close the disc, most notably Adams' most famous composition, "Slow Ride on a Fast Machine." These works, particularly "Harmonielehre," show Adams severing ties with the minimalist camp, being more dynamic and emotional than many of the more static works of the minimalist canon -- hearkening back to many of the impressionist composers of the late 19th century (such as Debussy). Mark W.B. Allender