Gnarly Buttons & John’s Book of Alleged Dances (1998)
May 5th, 2008
John Adams: Gnarly Buttons & John’s Book of Alleged Dances (1998)
Classical | EAC, APE & CUE) | 269 MB
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John Adams becomes more popular by the year with his compositions for large orchestra (Naive and Sentimental Music, On the Transmigration of Souls) and operas (Doctor Atomic and in a way El Nino) gaining justly increased performances, but Adams has another side―chamber works. As with all great composers it is the smaller, exposed works that often tell us more about a composer’s genius. The two works on this splendid recording prove this to be the case. John’s Book of Alleged Dances was written for the Kronos Quartet and is a bit of whimsy in its series of eleven dances for string quartet and a rhythm track made of prepared piano sounds. The result is a group of works that pay homage to the backwoods simplicity of America’s folktunes. The dances are endlessly creative, with never a moment of hurried compositional thought. They are played with such fine sense of fun and expertise by the Kronos Quartet that they become instant staples in the chamber repertoire. Gnarly Buttons could be called a clarinet concerto, but that title does not fully cover the novelty of the work. Composed for clarinet, banjo, guitar, mandolin, trombone, English horn, bassoon, piano, strings, and ‘two samplers’ playing a variety of sounds including accordion and cow! The piece is dizzy, playful, funky, fun and virtuosic! Adams conducts the London Sinfonietta and the Present Music ensemble with clarinetist Michael Collins in this rollicking performance that feels like a ride through the farmlands and backcountry of America.
- Tracklist
John’s Book Of Alleged Dances:
1. Judah to Ocean 2:35
2. Toot Nipple 1:15
3. Dogjam 2:34
4. Pavane: She’s So Fine 6:34
5. Rag the Bone 3:04
6. Habanera 4:49
7. Stubble Crotchet 2:44
8. Hammer and Chisel 1:16
9. Alligator Escalator 3:54
10. John’s Book Of Alleged Dances – Standchen: The Little Serenade 4:58
11. Judah to Ocean (reprise) 2:42
Kronos Quartet
Gnarly Buttons:
12. The Perilous Shore 9:54
13. Hoe-down (Mad Cow) 5:46
14. Put Your Loving Arms Around Me 8:31
Michael Collins, clarinet
London Sinfonietta
John Adams, conductor
Nonesuch 79465-2
(3% recovery record included)
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