John Adams and Emily Dickinson
John Adams
John Adams is one of the world’s greatest living composers, and one of my favorite compositions of his is Harmonium, his settings of texts by John Donne (“Negative Love”) and Emily Dickinson (“Because I Could Not Stop For Death” & “Wild Nights” ) for chorus and full orchestra. What follows is an audio interview with John Adams on KQED, in which he discusses Harmonium as well as the growth of what has come to be known as Minimalist music. On a personal note, Harmonium was my introduction to John Adams. I have a very fond memory of listening to this piece while driving out into the countryside north of Tampa, Florida. This must’ve been 1990-91. Wherever I was headed has faded from memory, but this music has stayed with me. That’s for sure.
By Tom Fasano on December 4, 2008 – 11:28 pm
Posted in Classroom Stuff | No Comments »
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