John Adams – Philip Glass: Piano Music
Canadian pianist David Jalbert presents a really attractive program of solo pieces by American composers associated with minimalism. John Adams’ China Gates and Phrygian Gates, both from 1977, are almost inevitably paired on CDs and in recital. They are among Adams’ earliest mature works, but they have become established as classics of late 20th century American piano literature.
Tracks
- China Gates
- Phrygian Gates
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): I. The Cafe
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): II. Orphee’s Bedroom
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): III. Journey to the Underworld
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): IV. Orphee and the Princess
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): V. Return to Orphee’s House
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): VI. Orphee’s Return
- Orphee Suite (arr. P. Barnes for piano): VII. Orphee’s Bedroom-Reprise
These silken fingers lend a golden glow to the minimalist stylings of two living American greats. Jalbert magisterially holds aloft the larger arc of Adams’ 1977 creations, Phrygian Gates and China Gates, which weave a mesmerizing stream of sound from repeated note patterns. A special treat is Paul Barnes’ 2001 piano-suite adaptation of Glass’s 1991 chamber opera, Orphée. This is new music at its most accessible, and most elegantly interpreted.
– TORONTO STAR
