JOHN ADAMS (b.1947): Doctor Atomic Symphony, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Harmonielehre.

Description: Fans of Adams' music will not need this for its eighth recording of Harmonielehre nor for at least the 23rd of Short Ride but this is only the second recording of the Doctor Atomic Symphony (and the first on a label we can get). It's so vivid and so not-very-minimalist (there really is a differece between Glass and Adams, huh?) that anyone should enjoy its sci-fi film-scoreish properties (the dissonant opening, according to the composer, was inspired by Varèse). Its three movements are "The Laboratory", "Panic" and "Trinity", the score lasts 24 minutes and, dare I say it?, I wish Adams had kept in whatever the fourth movement was which would have extended to piece to around 40 minutes. Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Peter Oundjian. SACD hybrid