Earlier this year, the New York Philharmonic commissioned American composer John Adams to create a musical memorial in honor of September 11 victims. On Tuesday’s program, a conversation with the composer himself, about why he was selected for this high-profile commission, his sources of musical inspiration, and choosing texts for the commemorative work, entitled On the Transmigration of Souls. Plus, Host John Schaefer examines some of Adams’ most politically and emotionally charged compositions, including Nixon In China and The Death of Klinghoffer.
For the September 11 commission, multiple Grammy-winning composer John Adams found his muse in the awe-inspiring architecture and contemplative atmosphere of European cathedrals. A director of the Charles Ives Society, Adams most recently completed the moving nativity oratorio, El Niño.
More about John Adams: www.earbox.com
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