Search - Christopher Maltman, John [Composer] Adams, John Adams :: John Adams: Tromba Lontana; Violin Concerto; The Wound-Dresser

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere

Ahmed E. Ismail | Cambridge, MA United States | 10/26/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like all major modern composers, there's a certain arbitrariness to one's reception of Adams's music. You'll either like it or you won't: there's just not that much middle ground. Personally, I like most of what I've heard by Adams, and what disappointments and reservations I have are the result of the way it's been packaged. For example, I enjoy "Naive and Sentimental Music"; I just wish I didn't have to pay full price for a 45-minute CD.Those reservations don't really carry over to the present disc (except for the lack of information about track lengths anywehre in the packaging, and the lack of texts for "The Wound-Dresser"). Don't be distracted or bothered by the abstract cover; the music inside the disc is about as far from abstract as you can get--it quickly goes for the jugular in its emotional intensity. The atmospherics of "Tromba Lontana"--a brief fanfare for orchestra and two solo trumpets, antiphonally placed on the two sides of the stage. It's definitely a "nocturnal" work--you can feel the shadows and even perhaps a little menacing and terror throughout the work's four minutes. It's an effective start, and well balanced by the works that follow.The bulk of the CD is given over to the "Violin Concerto," a piece which can only be described, in Adams's own words, as hypermelodic--there's the sense that each movement is one over-arching tune for the violin, with accompaniment from the orchestra. If there's a surprise in the work, it comes in the finale, which works itself into a frenzy before coming to an exciting, if unexpected, finish. [Here, the listener wishes that the conductor had paused a little longer before letting the audience begin their applause.]The final work, "The Wound-Dresser," is again another work which is enormously atmospheric, beginning with the opening for synthesizer, three-part violins, timpani, and a solo violin. Whitman's words also hold nothing back--the imagery is quite heartfelt, but also quite disturbing. In addition, the forward placement of the baritone, Christopher Maltman, ensures that every word will be clearly communicated--as does Adams's intelligent, if somewhat idiosyncratic, vocal writing. In short, these are very enjoyable performances of works that deserve to be better known. Collected together in one (relatively) affordable disc makes it all the more valuable and worthwhile."