John Adams (composer)
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John Coolidge Adams is an American composer and conductor. Among the most regularly performed composers of contemporary classical music, he is particularly noted for his operas, many of which center a
Adams, sometime before 2008
Adams's 1965 yearbook photo at Concord High School
Adams's first opera, Nixon in China, is about President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China.
Adams has collaborated with theater director Peter Sellars on all of his operas.
Short Ride in a Fast Machine
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Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a 1986 orchestral work by John Adams. Adams applies the description "fanfare for orchestra" to this work and to the earlier Tromba Lontana. The former is also known as
John Adams (composer)
…works Harmonium (1980–1981) and Harmonielehre (1985) first gained him national attention. Other popular works from this time include the fanfare Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986) and the orchestral work El Dorado (1991). Adams's first opera was Nixon in China (1987), which recounts Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China and…
Example 1. Harmonic transformations in the first section
Example 2. Initial rhythmic dissonance