III.Chain to the Rhythm – Adams John from DionysosJazzstrike on Vimeo.
Naïve and Sentimental Music is a symphonic work by the American composer John Adams. The title of the work alludes to an essay by Friedrich Schiller, On Naïve and Sentimental Poetry, that contrasts a creative personality that creates art for its own sake (the « naïve ») versus one conscious of other purposes, such as art’s place in history (the « sentimental »).[1] The composer cites both the slowly developing harmonies of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony and the atmosphere of the Sonoma coastline (where the piece was composed) as inspirations for the work.[2] The piece was co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Ensemble Modern, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It received its first public performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen on February 19, 1999. A recording by Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic was subsequently released by Nonesuch Records.[1]
The piece has a duration of approximately 48 minutes, and has three movements:
I. Naïve and Sentimental Music. The first movement opens with a meandering melody over simple chords that subsequently undergoes a variety of symphonic transformations.
II. Mother of the Man. This movement consists of slowly evolving harmonies punctuated by chords from an amplified steel guitar.
III. Chain to the Rhythm. In a minimalistic vein, the last movement uses rhythmic fragments that gradually build up to a thunderous climax.
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