Violin Concerto (John Adams)

The "Violin Concerto" by the American composer John Adams was written in 1993. It was premiered in 1994 by Jorja Fleezanis with the Minnesota Orchestra. Fleezanis also collaborated with Adams in writing the violin solo.

The piece was co-commissioned by the New York City Ballet, leading to a strong sense of rhythm throughout the entire work. For this work, Adams received the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

The solo violin is almost unceasing as the violin weaves through the orchestra, which serves primarily as a backdrop for the violin.

The Violin Concerto has been described as "the most original approach to the genre since the Alban Berg Concerto". [Christopher Latham, review of recording by Chloë Hanslip, Limelight, January 2007, p. 47]

tructure

The work is in three movements:
# Quarter-note = 78
# Chaconne: "Body through which the dream flows"
# Toccare.

The work is dedicated to David Huntley of Boosey & Hawkes.

Instrumentation

The work calls for 2 flutes (both doubling piccolos), 2 oboes (2nd. doubles cor anglais), 2 clarinets (2nd. doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 2 horns in F, 1 trumpet in C, percussion (2 players. timpani, vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells, guiro, 5 bongo drums, 4 conga drums, bass drum, suspended cymbal, tambourine, claves, high cowbell), solo violin and strings (minimum 6 1st. violins, 6 2nd., 5 violas, 5 cellos, 2 double basses)

References

External links

* [http://www.earbox.com/inter004.html Interview with John Adams from Perspectives of New Music.]