adams chamber symphony

Composer John Adams
Photo credit: Deborah O’Grady.

I read a few months ago that John Adams had written a sequel to his Chamber Symphony (1992) called Son of Chamber Symphony (2007). The monster movie allusions seem to be proving correct if you listen to all the chatter flying around the back hallways of the concert hall and the email pipes are burning hot, too, from what I hear.

The Chamber Symphony is literally a concerto for 15 instruments, and it presents parts for each instrument that approach the unplayable (but, unfortunately, in fact, are). As Adams writes in his notes:

. . . the Chamber Symphony bears a suspicious resemblance to its eponymous predecessor, the Opus 9 of Arnold Schoenberg. The choice of instruments is roughly the same as Schoenberg’s, although mine includes parts for synthesizer, percussion (a trap set), trumpet and trombone. However, whereas the Schoenberg symphony is in one uninterrupted structure, mine is broken into three discrete movements, “Mongrel Airs”; “Aria with Walking Bass” and “Roadrunner.” The titles give a hint of the general ambience of the music.

Despite all the good humor, my Chamber Symphony turned out to be shockingly difficult to play. Unlike Phrygian Gates or Pianola, with their fundamentally diatonic palettes, this new piece, in what I suppose could be termed my post-Klinghoffer language, is linear and chromatic. Instruments are asked to negotiate unreasonably difficult passages and alarmingly fast tempi, often to inexorable click of the trap set.

Milwaukee lead viola operator Robert Levine performed the piece this weekend, and writes the following after the first (and only) performance in Milwaukee last night:

As I mentioned a few days ago, we’re doing the John Adams Chamber Symphony this week, with Nicholas McGegan conducting. Most of us had the same reaction on first seeing the parts as I did, which was despair at ever being able to play it at the marked tempi. But it’s amazing what hard work can do.

It’s also amazing how accurately the tempo markings in each movement are calculated to make at least one person’s part just a shade beyond unplayable in every movement – even the slow movement.

Listen to an excerpt from the Chamber Symphony, mvt. III – Roadrunner:
[audio:chsym3.mp3]

Performed by Ensemble Modern, conducted by Sian Edwards
Purchase CD here.
I can’t (and won’t) go into the behind-the-scenes drama (only to say that there has been plenty) that has surrounded the Adams here in Oregon (before rehearsals have even begun), but suffice it to say – it’s a tour de force for virtuoso musicians, and if you’re on the fence about coming to the concerts on Feb 2 – 4, grab a ticket to the Oregon Symphony and come see the fur fly on stage!