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| Adams: I Was Looking At The Ceiling And Then I Saw The Sky | |||||
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Release Date: 11/03/1998 Label: Nonesuch Catalog #: 79473 Spars Code: n/a Composer: John Adams Performer: Richard Muenz, Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie, Michael McElroy, Welly Yang, Angela Teek, Darius de Haas, Seppo Kantonen, Marja Mutru, Kari Tenkanen, Markku Tabell, Janne Murto, Jari Nieminen, Hannu Rantanen, Jari-Pekka Karvonen Conductor: John Adams
Number of Discs: 1 |
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CD
$16.97
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| Notes & Reviews | Back to Top | ||||
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Selection recorded in December, 1996 (Arabian Studios, Helsinki, Finland) and May, 1997 (Avatar Studios, New York City). 'I Was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky' is a lyric and title based on a survivor's response to the 1994 earthquake in Northridge, California. John Adams' opera establishes the situations of seven individuals in Los Angeles and then disrupts their lives with the earthquake, finally illustrating the upheaval wrought in all seven lives--change, but not entirely for the worse. This work is much less an "opera-house" work than 'Nixon in China,' and evokes a variety of popular styles. Adams has moved away from strict minimalism in the sense of repetition and gradual change to a rhythmically active style which incorporates a good deal of repetition but with more sense of forward motion. "Consuelo's Dream" has a luminous quality similar to "This is Prophetic" from 'Nixon,' but the work as a whole seems more akin to Broadway than classical styles. The vocalists, mostly the original 1995 New York cast and not known as "opera singers," sing with directness and style aptly suited to their roles. The ensemble is comprised of Finnish musicians who feel the music well, and this vigorous, vital recording is conducted by the composer. Gramophone (2/99, p.94) - "...There are many fine performances here...and tehre is so much strong music that I for one would like to see it live. It's a shame that the booklet gives so little information on the background to the work and that the flat recorded sound lets the piece down so badly..." REVIEWS: The Wire (p.62) - "[T]he ensemble playing is suitably uninhibited and funky..." |
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| Works on This Recording | Back to Top | ||||
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I was looking at the ceiling and then I saw the sky by John Adams | ||||
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Performer:
Richard Muenz (Baritone),
Audra McDonald (Soprano),
Marin Mazzie (Soprano),
Michael McElroy (Voice), Welly Yang (Voice), Angela Teek (Voice), Darius de Haas (Voice), Seppo Kantonen (Piano), Marja Mutru (Keyboard), Kari Tenkanen (Bass Clarinet), Markku Tabell (Keyboard), Janne Murto (Saxophone), Kari Tenkanen (Clarinet), Jari Nieminen (Guitar), Hannu Rantanen (Electric Double Bass), Hannu Rantanen (Double Bass), Jari-Pekka Karvonen (Percussion) Conductor: John Adams Period: 20th Century Written: 1995; USA |
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Length: 69 Minutes 54 Secs. Language: English |
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