JOHN ADAMS

JOHN ADAMS
SHAKER LOOPS - THE WOUND DRESSER (2004)
BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - MARTIN ALSOP
320 KBPS

As a collection of John Adams' earlier works (1979-91), this is nothing sort of a revelation for me. Long associated with the American minimalism movement, Adams composes music which I tend to think of as alternately challenging and droning with unexpected flashes of brilliance. But what is truly unexpected here is the powerfully rich and communicative nature of all four works presented here.
Whirling dervish rhythms dominate the opener, "Short Ride in a Fast Machine", an apt title as it feels like an exhilarating sportscar careening on hairpin turns, yet with a lovely gravity that is almost Coplandesque. The second piece is the most impressive, truly a soliloquy for baritone and orchestra, "The Wound-Dresser" is a stunning twenty-minute piece set to a Walt Whitman poem describing in graphic detail the poet's experiences as a nurse during the Civil War. Propelled by baritone Nathan Gunn's astonishing vocals, it is deeply eloquent and moving, all the more impressive given the often brutal lyrics about tending to bloodied and maimed soldiers on the battlefield. I just saw Gunn's galvanizing performance in the title role of Benjamin Britten's "Billy Budd" at the San Francisco Opera, and it is gratifying to hear his commanding voice, letter-perfect diction and compassionate dramatic style take over this beautiful piece so fully. And Adams elevates the drama in such surprising ways, for example, the use of clarion bugles during the climax. The composer brings a fulsome gravity to "The Wound-Dresser" presaging his masterwork elegy to 9/11, "On the Transmigration of Souls" (also strongly recommended).
The third piece is Adams' somber, poignant arrangement for chamber orchestra of an orchestral work by Ferruccio Busoni. The original, his Opus 42, dates from 1909, and it is a lovely homage from one composer to another. Here, in a more subdued manner, Adams seems to be continuing his theme of surviving through suffering started by "The Wound-Dresser"; it makes for a powerful combination. The last piece is Adams' earliest work here, and his more familiar minimalist style is far more evident with the pure string orchestra arrangement of "Shaker Loops". The athletic, almost edgy "shaking" effect of the first section is powerfully performed but not ad nauseum, and it's followed by a more stylized dramatic setting in the second movement "Hymning Slews" and the even deeper sense of revelation pervading the third section, "Loops and Verses". The final section brings the work full circle with a reinterpretation of the opening "shaking" that leads to a haunting fade-out.
The conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and 2003 Gramophone Artist of the Year, Marin Alsop seems keenly aware of the drama and subtlety necessary to make this recording feel like one holistic work. She masterfully leads the Bournemouth orchestra, who respond by performing superbly. This is a remarkable recording. My one quibble is incomplete documentation in the accompanying booklet. Strongly recommended.

1. Short Ride In A Fast Machine
2. The Wound-Dresser
3. Berceuse Elegiaque
Shaker Loops
4. I. Shaking And Trembling
5. II. Hymning Slews
6. III. Loops And Verses
7. IV. A Final Shaking

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