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Chairman Dances

DE WAART / SAN FRANCISCO SYM ORCH (Artist), ADAMS,JOHN (Composer), DE WAART,EDO (Composer), Format: Audio CD

4.7 33 ratings

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Adams, John: The Chairman Dances

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Nagano/Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal
29
Audio CD
13 offers from $7.75

Track Listings

1	The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orch)
2	Christian Zeal & Activiy
3	Two Fanfares for Orch: Tromba Iontana
4	Two Fanfares for Orch: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
5	Comon Tones in Simple Time

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 15-JUL-1994

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.67 x 4.92 x 0.43 inches; 2.82 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Nonesuch
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ July 26, 2006
Label ‏ : ‎ Nonesuch
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000005IY2
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #119,514 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #138 in Classical Dances
- #3,127 in Symphonies (CDs & Vinyl)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 33 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

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Robert Bartug

"Chairman Dances" gives a lasting impression and is heard best in the car while driving. RB

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2022

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I listen to the Chairman Dances with deep intrigue. I listen to it in the car. It is as fascinating as Ina-god-a da-vita was back in the 1970. I listened to that music perhaps a hundred times. Chairman Dances is equally compelling. RB

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Robert S. Costic

A Good Introduction to John Adams

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2009

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When someone asks me to give him or her a CD as an introduction to John Adams, I give this because it features several shorter works, a couple of which are very accessible. "The Chairman Dances" is a catchy foxtrot taken from a tune Adams used in his very popular opera "Nixon in China." "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" is an adrenaline-pumping, spirit-lifting fanfare on level with works like Shostakovich's "Festive" Overture. "Common Tones in Simple Time" is a pastorale suitable for calmer listening, and the rewards it offers are more subtle. "Christian Zeal and Activity" makes interesting use of the recorded voice of a preacher, although I tend to think that the work as a whole is a little too simplistic.

2 people found this helpful

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A. C. Herrick

The Adams Experience

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2015

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Nothing minimal about the music on this recording. It is nothing short of hypnotic. Every time I listen to it the music it casts a spell on me. It is said that great art puts you in a different place. That is true for me every time I listen to this Cd. The Chairman Dances transport me to modern China. Fast paced and brilliant! Christian Zeal and Activity is a revival for the soul. Short Ride in a Fast Machine is the future. One does not just listen to the music they experience it.

One person found this helpful

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Kathleen Stegmaier

Everything good.

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2022

Thanks for protecting the jewel box that surrounds the CD and keeping all intact and safe. Much appreciated.

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Gunhee LEE

The best of John Adams!

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2018

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The best of John Adams!
Must Buy!

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Hedgehog

Adams: The Chairman Dances; Christian Zeal and Activity; Tromba Lontana; Common Tones in Simple Time

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2012

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Having heard segments of this recording on our regional classical FM station, I was delighted to hear the entire production and really enjoy it!!

One person found this helpful

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Edward D.

Very different.

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2019

Wasn't expecting the recorded voice over. Interesting but would have preferred just the orchestra. However, I may revisit this version at some point in the future.

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Erik North

Maximum Minimalism

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2006

Along with Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, John Adams is one of the foremost composers of what is often called "minimalist music." To classical fans who have been weaned on everything from Handel and Bach through Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, and Aaron Copland, the very notion of minimalist music, with its repetitious rhythms, might seem a turn-off.

When, however, you get a world-class orchestra like the San Francisco Symphony and a solid conductor in Edo De Waart (who was the orchestra's music director from 1974 to 1985), who premiered many of Adams' pieces and who know them perhaps better than any orchestra around, the results are fascinating, as can be gauged in this Nonesuch recording. It consists of "The Chairman Dances" (from the composer's 1985 opera "Nixon In China"); "Christian Zeal And Activity" (with an admittedly somewhat ponderous evangelical sidebar stuck in there); "Tromba Lontana"; "Short Ride In A Fast Machine" (almost certainly this composer's most popular single piece, and for good reason too); and "Common Tones In Simple Time." As is typical for Adams in particular, and minimalist music in general, the orchestration is varied and vibrant, occasionally using glockenspiel and synthesizers. If one has heard John Williams' eerie scores to Spielberg's films ALWAYS and A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, one can tell how influential the minimalist movement has been on other composers of our time.

For those who are just getting introduced to minimalism and who may be a bit uneasy with the form, this great recording is a perfect introduction to the form. For those who are already very much into it, this is essential.

13 people found this helpful

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smartyfun

Early Adams - Great music

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2016

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This album is a collection of compositions by John Adams that were written from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. However, this music still sounds fresh and contemporary, although Christian Zeal & Activity is probably the exception.

Adams is commonly described as being part of the minimalist style of modern classical music exemplified by composers such as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass. However, Adams is about 10 years younger than these composers and his music is, in general, more lyrical and harmonic. I would say Adams is more influenced by minimalism than being minimalist.

The Chairman Dances is a short (12 minute) interlude for dance from the opera Adams: Nixon In China and it is typical of the way Adams uses steady rhythmic pulses overlaid with simple combinations of notes to form a rich and complex jigsaw of music. It has a liberating and optimistic feel to it.

Tromba Lontana, which translates to Distant Trumpet, consists of 2 trumpets playing apart, in a kind of stereo. They seem to play almost independently of one another and also to the orchestra. However, the resultant music is coherent and quite calming and serene. Adams was also influenced by the composer Charles Ives, who was renowned for incorporating different tunes and timing from different sections of his orchestra.

Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a blisteringly paced explosion of orchestral sounds that either carries you on the crest of a wave or gives you a migraine. It only lasts 4 minutes, which is good or bad depending on your taste.

Common Tones in Simple Time is the sort of title that minimalist composers would use to warn you of their intentions, which for many listeners would be to send them into a state of meditative bliss or mind-numbing boredom, again depending on your taste. However, this piece is neither meditative nor boring. It is an exemplification of how Adams uses simple musical phrases and constructs something really beautiful.

Adams suggests to listeners of his music that they should allow the music to flow over and around them, and I have found this helpful in listening to his music. He is a composer who I can't get enough of.

All the music in this collection was conducted by Edo de Waart and performed by San Francisco Symphony. It is a great quality recording.

2 people found this helpful

Seabird

I've asked them and they said it was an excellent piece of music

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2014

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This was a Christmas present for someone else. I've asked them and they said it was an excellent piece of music, but that, in a way, it was a pity we never seemed to hear Adams' music performed by another conductor. Works by Stravinsky for example had been conducted by him but also by many other conductors and their interpretation had added to our understanding of the music. They said it was a pity this hadn't happened with Adams.

tabaibagirl

Chairman Dances

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2012

Verified Purchase

This recording was bought really to listen to and study the Foxtrot. I have listened once to the other dances which are very well interpreted, but the Foxtrot is certainly a very exciting and at the same time, sensitive performance.

Superbe !

Reviewed in France on September 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

Ce disque regroupe les pièces essentielles de la musique postminimale de John Adams. C'est une véritable jubilation que cet enregistrement qui nous offre les plus belles harmonies que John Adams ait jamais produites. C'est superbe, et c'est parfait !

2 people found this helpful

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