Dutch conductor
Edo de Waart has a long history with the music of
John Adams: in addition to premiering a number of his works, his recording of
Adams' famous opera Nixon in China is the sole currency on the market. In recent years, though,
Adams has opted to conduct more and more of his own works: in fact, his rendition of Shaker Loops from 1988 can be found on the Nonesuch label.
History has shown us, though, that composers are not always the best proponents of their own works.
Adams recent performances have received mixed reviews, and this 1983 recording featuring
de Waart conducting the
San Francisco Symphony has effervescence that some of his other recordings (The Chairman Dances) lack. As the name suggests, Shaker Loops is based on the jolting religious fervor of the Shakers of New England that is elucidated in their quivering, devotional dances. Bustling, crisp energy in the first movement is matched with an appropriate ethereal atmosphere in the second. Unfortunately, some of the harmonics are noticeably out of tune. The beautiful solo cello playing in the third movement more than makes up for the inconsistencies. De Waart brings off the winding down and quiet ending of "a final shaking" to a sensitive conclusion.
The disc opens with
Steve Reich's Variations for winds, strings, and keyboards that dates from 1980.
Reich has a compositional style that could be perceived as slightly more hypnotic than
Adams: bottom landscapes shift much more slowly and gradually, but with heightened, more sharply defined activity in the upper registers. The excellent woodwinds of the
San Francisco Symphony help give the soothing tamber of the 21-minute piece an edge.
The sound, which was all recorded in digital to begin with, is excellent and captures
Adams broad spectrum of colors well. However, with the total amount of music just clocking in at over 45 minutes, Philips could have been more generous and thrown in Short Ride in a Fast Machine or even The Chairman Dances. All skimpiness aside, though, this is a must-have for any minimalist. Check your record collection before you buy, though: both of these recordings have already been previously released on Philips.