A Contrast of the Adams

Today in class we examined the compositions of John Luther Adams. I will admit that I do not have a great deal of exposure to his music, but I appreciated the relative simplicity of his ideas and how he was able to generate such magnificent works.

John Adams has a compositional style that has some striking similarities with that of John Luther Adams. Much of his compositional output has been described as being spatially oriented, somewhat like the music of John Luther Adams. A good example of this can be seen in the first act of The Death of Klinghoffer. As the music progresses, the music has a feeling of progressing towards the listener spatially, before slowly receding away.

In addition, both Adams are located on the West Coast. John Luther Adams (as Kyle pointed out today) is a resident of Alaska, Whereas John Adams resides in California. Both draw upon nature for their sources of inspiration. John Luther Adams is able to witness the rugged terrain of the Arctic regions. John Adams does much of his compositional work in a cabin located on an undeveloped homestead that allows him to get close to nature.

However, there is one very noticeable difference in their works which accounts for the immense popularity of John Adams. John Luther Adams moved to Alaska to get away from the congested regions of California and escape to the wilderness terrain. John Adams does escape to the Wilderness, but has continued to live in California for over three decades, traveling to conduct concerts worldwide.

There is another element in John Adams music that I touched on last week. That element is the American aspect. John Luther Adams writes music that depicts the region of Alaska in which he lives. It is wonderful, yet at the same time it is only regional in compass. John Adams music, on the other hand, explores much of not only our country or continent, but the entirety of the Americas.

The three operas and oratorio that Adams has written emphasize this great diversity. Nixon in China describes the visit of President Richard Nixon to China in the 1970's. The Death of Klinghoffer focuses on the murder of an American Jew, as well as the tensions associated with Jews and Palestinians, not only in the middle East, but also in the entire world. The oratorio El Nino depicts the Birth of Christ, but instead it presents it in the context of having occurred in Mexico (some of the texts used are Spanish. While writing this oratorio, Adams learned to read and speak Spanish.) Doctor Atomic explores the nuclear experiments in the Southwest during World War II, as well as the cultural environment that surrounded such a tense ordeal.

There are a great deal of other works that John Adams has written which reflect many of these same qualities. John Adams, as has been seen throughout the last few weeks (and I will discuss tomorrow in a post which will examine El Nino) writes music that is directed towards an audience, but it is an international one.

I love the music of John Luther Adams. It has a gothic feeling to it which makes it awe inspiring to listen to. Yet due to the fact that he has made an attempt to get away from the more populated regions of the world and John Adams willingness to not only live there but also travel extensively and maintain a metropolitan career, his music has caught on.

It is a shame though. I love John Adams music, but the music of John Luther Adams is immensely creative and deserves to get much more recognition in concert halls. Thank you again Kyle for sharing information about John Luther Adams. Hopefully, one day, his music will gain the notoriety among concert goers it deserves.