Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?

Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?
by John Adams
Period	Contemporary
Composed	2018
Duration	c. 28 minutes
Scoring	Orchestra
Premiere
Date	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)
Location	Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Conductor	Gustavo Dudamel
Performers	Los Angeles Philharmonic, Yuja Wang

Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? is a piano concerto by the American composer John Adams. Its title is taken from a saying attributed to Martin Luther. ^[1] The work was premiered on March 7, 2019 by Yuja Wang and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. ^[2] A recording, made by Wang, Dudamel, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 2019, was released digitally by Deutsche Grammophon on April 17, 2020. ^{[3] [4]} The piece is Adams' third piano concerto, after Eros Piano (1989) and Century Rolls (1997).

Composition

Movements

The piece is in three movements, played without pauses between them:

1. Gritty, funky, but in Strict Tempo; Twitchy, Bot-like
2. Much Slower; Gently, Relaxed
3. Più Mosso: Obsession / Swing

All three movements in total last about 28 minutes. ^[5]

Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following orchestra: ^[5]

Woodwinds Piccolo 2 Flutes (1st doubling piccolo 2) 2 Oboes English horn 2 Clarinets in B♭ and A (2nd doubling basset horn) Bass clarinet 2 Bassoons Contrabassoon (doubling bassoon 3)

Brass 4 Horns in F 2 Trumpets in C 2 Trombones (2nd doubling bass trombone) Percussion (1 player) Almglocken Bass drum Snare drum

Pianos Solo piano Honky tonk piano Strings Violin I Violin II Violas Cellos Double basses Bass guitar

References

1. "John Adams Must The Devil Have All The Good Tunes". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
2. Adams, John (2018-07-26). "Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?". Earbox - John Adams. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
3. BWW News Desk. "LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel Release World Premiere Recording of John Adams "Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?"". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
4. "John Adams: Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
5. "Boosey & Hawkes Composers, Classical Music and Jazz Repertoire". www.boosey.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.