Adams: Harmonium

Read About This Recording

For Society Members who have been looking for a piece of music with the tonal warmth, the rhythmic excitement and the choral richness of Carl Orff's incredible Carmina Burana (MHS #5270764), you need look no further. John Adams' Harmonium is a thrilling work for chorus and orchestra that uses the poetry of John Donne and Emily Dickinson as its base.

The idea of the music came from the concept of a single tone emerging out of a vast, empty space. Beginning with that haunting image, and sound, Adams takes us on a journey of musical power. The work surges propulsively - much like Carmina Burana - before easing back into an ethereal, melodic calm. Simply put, this is an amazing work that needs to be experienced.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, Harmonium has become a staple of the repertoire. This recording is based on the inaugural performances of the piece and features the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus led by Edo de Waart. It is an expansive performance and the sound allows every nuance of the work to shine through.

This is a modern piece, set to old texts, that is absolutely worth discovering.

-Jacob Anthony

Quotes

Magnificent, resonantly expansive. -Penguin Guide

Contents

Harmonium for Large Orchestra & Chorus: Part 1 - Negative Love; Part 2 - Because I Could Not Stop for Death; Wild Nights.

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Vance George, Chorusmaster; Edo De Waart, Conductor.