Gnarly Buttons

Part of New Dimensions Series

ADAMS Shaker Loops

ADAMS Gnarly Buttons

ADAMS Fearful Symmetries

Andrew Manze conductor

Maximiliano Martín clarinet

Once a self-identifying minimalist, radical US composer John Adams quickly jumped from cool, hypnotic pulsations to red-hot emotion and vast cinematic soundscapes in his colourful, witty music. Experience that thrilling journey in three iconic pieces by this pioneering musician.

Minimalist classic Shaker Loops is a rippling soundscape of quivering energy - sometimes frenetic, sometimes meditative, but never less than mesmerisingly beautiful.

Mooing cows and ancient Amercian hymns are among the inspirations behind Adams’s zany clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons - played by charismatic SCO Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín - which blends humour and heart in music that spans jazz, pop, folk and the surging repetitions of minimalism. Fearful Symmetries is one of Adams’ boldest and brightest pieces, a high-energy workout of driving rhythms and larger-than-life orchestral sound.