Violin Concerto (Adams)

This article is about the violin concerto. For Peter Martins' 1994 ballet to this music, see Adams Violin Concerto.

Violin Concerto
by John Adams
Portrait of John Adams
Genre	Minimalism
Form	Violin Concerto
Commissioned by	New York City Ballet
Composed	1993 (1993)
Dedication	David Huntley
Duration	about 35 minutes
Movements	Three
Premiere
Date	January 19, 1994 (1994-01-19)
Location	Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Conductor	Edo de Waart
Performers	Jorja Fleezanis (violin) Minnesota Orchestra

The Violin Concerto by the American composer John Adams was written in 1993. Its premiere was on January 19, 1994, by Jorja Fleezanis with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Edo de Waart, at the Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota. ^{[1] [2]}

The piece was co-commissioned by the New York City Ballet, leading to a strong sense of rhythm throughout the entire work. For it, Adams received the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. ^[1]

A typical performance lasts around 35 minutes. ^[3]

The Violin Concerto has been described as "the most original approach to the genre since the Alban Berg Concerto". ^[4]

Structure

The work is in three movements:

1. Quarter note = 78 ^[5]
2. Chaconne: Body through which the dream flows
3. Toccare

It is dedicated to the memory of David Huntley of Boosey & Hawkes. ^[3]

Instrumentation

The work calls for solo violin accompanied by an orchestra with the following instrumentation.

Woodwinds 2 flutes (both doubling piccolos) 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais) 2 clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet) 2 bassoons Brass 2 horns in F trumpet in C

Percussion 2 players, doubling on timpani guiro 3 bongo drums 2 conga drums bass drum suspended cymbal tambourine claves high cowbell vibraphone marimba tubular bells

Keyboards 2 synthesizers [6] Strings violin I (minimum 6) violin II (minimum 6) violas (minimum 5) cellos (minimum 5) double basses (minimum 2)

Recordings

The first recording was with the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloist Gidon Kremer, ^[3] and conducted by Kent Nagano, released as Nonesuch 79360–2. ^[7]

In 2017 Orchid Classics released a recording (coupled with the Korngold violin concerto), with soloist Ilya Gringolts and the Copenhagen Philharmonic conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, reference ORC100066. ^[8]

References

1. "1995 – John Adams". Grawemeyer Awards. 20 July 1995. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
2. "John Adams - Violin Concerto". Boosey & Hawkes . Retrieved 24 May 2019.
3. Adams, John. "About the Piece - Violin Concerto". Los Angeles Philharmonic. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018.
4. Christopher Latham, review of recording by Chloë Hanslip, Limelight, January 2007, p. 47
5. sometimes written "♩ = 78", "I. = 78" or "Crotchet = 78"
6. Technical requirements for the synthesizers available here
7. Schwartz, Steve (1998). "Classical Net Review - Adams - Violin Concerto, Shaker Loops". Classical Net. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
8. "On-line catalogue entry Korngold/Adams Violin Concertos". Orchid Classics. Retrieved 4 April 2022.

External links

• John Adams on his Violin Concerto Interview from Perspectives of New Music
• "John Adams - Violin Concerto (Compilation of reviews)". Alio Modo Blog. 2010-08-20. Archived from the original on 2011-04-21.
• Violin Concerto Tech Specs by Mark Grey, sound designer for John Adams