John Adams Conducts American Elegies

Charles Ives (Composer), Ingram Marshall (Composer), Morton Feldman (Composer), John [Composer] Adams (Composer), David [6] Diamond (Composer), John Adams (Conductor), Orchestra of St. Luke's (Orchestra), Paul Crossley (Performer), Dawn Upshaw (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Paul Crossley, Dawn Upshaw
• Orchestra: Orchestra of St. Luke's
• Conductor: John Adams
• Composer: Charles Ives, Ingram Marshall, Morton Feldman, John [Composer] Adams, David [6] Diamond
• Audio CD (March 5, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005J0I
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,240 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Ives, Charles

Track Listings

1. Unanswered Question (I & II), for trumpet, winds & string orchestra, S.

2. Thoreau

3. Down East

4. Cradle Song

5. At The River

6. Serenity, for chorus, harps & violins ad lib & timpani, S. 177 (K. 5B3)

7. Fog Tropes, for brass sextet, fog horns & tape

8. Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety - Morton Feldman

9. Eros Piano, for piano & orchestra

10. Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel, for brass, strings & percussion (or s

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My intro to 20th century music...., November 16, 2005

By 

A. Aaron "Bear Music Fan" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Adams Conducts American Elegies (Audio CD)

When I was in Dr. Knowles music appreciation class in college, I questioned the validity of modern 'art' music, because I didn't understand it (then). Silly me. He recommended John Adams. The local music store, which was stocked heavily with rap and techno and the like, was very limited in their classical selections. This was the only one they had, so I took a chance and bought it. Talk about opening my eyes (and ears).... the vocal works are absolutely mind blowing. Fog Tropes was a little creepy, but it definitely grew on me. You can call this my gateway CD, because I've been searching out 20th century since then. Thanks Dr. Knowles. :)

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Collection of Music Apropos of our Time, April 17, 2003

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Adams Conducts American Elegies (Audio CD)

With this country once again stunned by a yet another war, we find ourselves in a place where solace and nurturing are necessary and deeply needed. This collection of American composers' works that span a century has been lovingly assembled by John Adams and is performed by the usually conductorless Orchestra of St Lukes here under Adams' direction. The disc opens with the hauntingly beautiful Charles Ives' THE UNANSWERED QUESTION and proceeds with five of his best loved songs for voice and small orchestra performed with subtle clarity and undersatement by Dawn Upshaw in tandem with the orchestra. The last of these songs 'Serenity' blooms into the Ingram Marshall moody and exspansive exploration of fog and foghorns in FOG TROPES. Morton Feldman's quietly simple elegy for his piano teacher 'MADAME PRESS DIED LAST WEEK AT NINETY' is followed with John Adams own 'EROS PIANO', a work written as a memoriam/elegy at the death of Morton Feldman. The disc closes with David Diamond's plangent orchestral work 'ELEGY IN MEMORY OF MAURICE RAVEL'. Only on a CD could such programming exist and we are indebted to John Adams for creating this tenderly profound concert which, though recorded in 1989, seems immensely suitable for listening to today.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant, But Uneven, January 17, 2001

By 

Daniel G. Berk (West Bloomfield, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Adams Conducts American Elegies (Audio CD)

The major work on this CD in terms of length is John Adams' Eros Piano, approximately 15 minutes. As a solo piano work, it is somewhat more purcussive than his orchestral compositions, but, nonetheless, well worth the listen.

The five Charles Ives songs sung by Dawn Upshaw are a treat, as she brings fine musicianship to anything she approaches. The works by Feldman and Diamond are interesting, new experiences, but I find that I will have to expend considerable effort to be able to come to terms with and appreciate the work by Marshall.