JOHN ADAMS - American Elegies (1991) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Charles Ives
The Unanswered Question (Late Version)    4:49
Five Songs
Thoreau 1:49
Adapted By (Text) – Charles Ives
Down East 2:23
Lyrics By – Charles Ives
Cradle Song 1:21
Lyrics By – Augusta L. Ives
At The River 1:14
Lyrics By, Music By – Robert Lowry
Serenity 1:52
Lyrics By – John Greenleaf Whittier
Arranged By – John Adams
Soprano Vocals – Dawn Upshaw

Ingram Marshall
Fog Tropes

Morton Feldman
Madame Press Died Last Week At Ninety

John Adams
Eros Piano
Piano – Paul Crossley

David Diamond
Elegy In Memory Of Maurice Ravel

Conductor – John Adams
Orchestra – Orchestra Of St. Luke's

KRONOS QUARTET - 25 Years : Retrospective (1998) 10CD BOX-SET / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The 20th century has not been kind to most standard classical music forms. The piano sonata, the concerto, the symphony -- none of them have disappeared entirely, but none remain in a state that could be called even remotely healthy. The same was true of the string quartet until 1973, when violinist David Harrington got some friends together to play contemporary music and offered his old high-school composition teacher a bag of donuts if he'd write a piece for them. The resulting composition was the first of over 400 works that have been written for the Kronos Quartet over the course of the following 25 years, a period which has seen the revitalization of the previously moribund string quartet format. But Kronos has done more than simply triple the size of the string quartet repertoire; by focusing on living composers, by cultivating a somewhat rebellious image, and by playing with impeccable professionalism and skill, Kronos has brought a new and primarily young audience to classical music. This massive ten-disc retrospective includes performances of 31 major compositions, most previously released, but some in new recordings. There are none of the miniature works that fill so many of Kronos' individual albums; these are all long-form compositions, all but one presented in their entirety. They include two string quartets by Henryk Gorecki, Terry Riley's post-minimalist Cadenza on the Night Plain, Morton Feldman's Piano and String Quartet, three quartets by Philip Glass, and many others, but the highlights of the collection are the tremendously moving Different Trains by Steve Reich (who combined train sounds, multi-tracked string quartet, and the recorded voices of concentration camp survivors and Pullman porters to create a powerful and deeply personal statement on the Holocaust) and Alfred Schnittke's exquisite Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief. The packaging is excellent as well, and includes a booklet packed with photos, essays, and notes on the individual composers and compositions. by Rick Anderson  
Tracklist 1 :
John's Book Of Alleged Dances, for string quartet    (33:16)
1-1    Judah To Ocean 2:22
Composed By – John Adams
1-2    Toot Nipple 1:13
Composed By – John Adams
1-3    Dogjam 2:30
Composed By – John Adams
1-4    Pavane: She's So Fine 6:29
Composed By – John Adams
1-5    Rag The Bone 2:59
Composed By – John Adams
1-6    Habanera 4:46
Composed By – John Adams
1-7    Stubble Crotchet 2:39
Composed By – John Adams
1-8    Hammer & Chisel 1:11
Composed By – John Adams
1-9    Alligator Escalator 3:50
Composed By – John Adams
1-10    Ständchen: The Little Serenade 4:52
Composed By – John Adams
1-11    Judah To Ocean (Reprise) 2:20
Composed By – John Adams
1-12    Fratres 9:25
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-13    Psalom 2:00
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-14    Summa 5:11
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
Missa Syllabica, for chorus    (12:38)
1-15    Kyrie 2:06
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-16    Gloria 2:45
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-17    Credo 4:27
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-18    Sanctus 0:55
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-19    Agnes Dei 1:45
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
1-20    Ite, Missa Est 0:25
Composed By – Arvo Pärt
Tracklist 2 :
Traveling Music No. 4, for string quartet     (18:57)
2-1    I. Gentle, Easy 2:15
Composed By – Ken Benshoof
2-2    II. Moderate 8:19
Composed By – Ken Benshoof
2-3    III. Driving 8:19
Composed By – Ken Benshoof
2-4    Song Of Twenty Shadows 11:17
Composed By – Ken Benshoof
Five Tango Sensations, for bandoneón & string quartet (abridgement and arrangement of Sette sequenze)   (26:46)
2-5    Asleep 5:23
Composed By, Bandoneon – Astor Piazzolla
2-6    Loving 6:11
Composed By, Bandoneon – Astor Piazzolla
2-7    Anxiety 4:52
Composed By, Bandoneon – Astor Piazzolla
2-8    Despertar 6:03
Composed By, Bandoneon – Astor Piazzolla
2-9    Fear 4:00
Composed By, Bandoneon – Astor Piazzolla
2-10    Four for Tango, for string quartet 3:58
Composed By – Astor Piazzolla
Tracklist 3 :
3-1        Piano And String Quartet 1:19:33
Composed By – Morton Feldman
Piano – Aki Takahashi
Tracklist 4 :
Quartet No. 4 (Buczak)    23:04
4-1    I 7:54
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-2    II 6:18
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-3    III 8:38
Composed By – Philip Glass
Mishima Quartet, Quartet No. 3    15:29
4-4    1957 - Award Montage 3:27
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-5    November 25 - Ichigaya 1:19
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-6    1934 - Grandmother And Kimitake 2:40
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-7    1962 - Body Building 1:39
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-8    Blood Oath 3:11
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-9    Mishima/Closing 2:56
Composed By – Philip Glass
Company, Quartet No. 2    7:23
4-10    I 2:09
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-11    II 1:34
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-12    III 1:28
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-13    IV 2:04
Composed By – Philip Glass
Quartet No. 5    (21:53)
4-14    I 1:11
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-15    II 2:59
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-16    III 5:28
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-17    IV 4:39
Composed By – Philip Glass
4-18    V 7:37
Composed By – Philip Glass
Tracklist 5 :
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind    (32:05)
5-1    Prelude: Calmo, Sospeso 3:14
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Basset Horn – David Krakauer
Composed By – Osvaldo Golijov
5-2    I. Agitato - Con Fuoco - Maestoso - Senza Misura, Oscilante 8:33
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Basset Horn – David Krakauer
Composed By – Osvaldo Golijov
5-3    II. Teneramente - Ruvido - Presto 10:34
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Basset Horn – David Krakauer
Composed By – Osvaldo Golijov
5-4    III. Calmo, Sospeso - Allegro Pesante 7:07
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Basset Horn – David Krakauer
Composed By – Osvaldo Golijov
5-5    Postlude: Lento, Liberamente 2:20
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Basset Horn – David Krakauer
Composed By – Osvaldo Golijov
5-6    Quartet No.4 11:47
Composed By – Sofia Gubaidulina
5-7    Mugam Sayagi 21:27
Composed By – Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
Tracklist 6 :
Quasi Una Fantasia, Quartet No. 2, Op. 64    (31:54)
6-1    I. Largo (Sostenuto - Mesto) 8:08
Composed By – Henryk Górecki
6-2    II. Deciso - Energico (Marcatissimo Sempre) 6:45
Composed By – Henryk Górecki
6-3    III. Arioso: Adagio Cantabile 7:23
Composed By – Henryk Górecki
6-4    IV. Allegro (Sempre Con Grande Passione E Molto Marcato) 9:31
Composed By – Henryk Górecki
6-5    Already It Is Dusk, Quartet No. 1, Op. 62 13:58
Composed By – Henryk Górecki
Tracklist 7 :
Different Trains, for double string quartet & tape    26:50
7-1    America - Before The War 8:59
Composed By – Steve Reich
7-2    Europe - During The War 7:31
Composed By – Steve Reich
7-3    After The War 10:19
Composed By – Steve Reich
Black Angels (Images I), for electric string quartet    18:16
7-4    I. Departure 5:26
Composed By – George Crumb
7-5    II. Absence 5:25
Composed By – George Crumb
7-6    III: Return 7:13
Composed By – George Crumb
Tracklist 8 :

Cadenza On The Night Plain    (30:39)
8-1    Introduction 2:21
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-2    Cadenza: Violin I 2:33
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-3    Where Was Wisdom When We Went West? 3:07
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-4    Cadenza: Viola 2:24
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-5    March Of The Old Timers Reefer Division 2:14
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-6    Cadenza: Violin II 2:06
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-7    Tuning To Rolling Thunder 4:53
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-8    The Night Cry Of Black Buffalo Woman 2:53
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-9    Cadenza: Cello 1:08
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-10    Gathering Of The Spiral Clan 5:25
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-11    Captain Jack Has The Last Word 1:35
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-12    Terry Riley: G Song 9:36
Composed By – Terry Riley
From Salome Dances For Peace, pieces (5) for string quartet    (29:00)
8-13    Echoes Of Primordial Time 11:15
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-14    Mongolian Winds 4:10
Composed By – Terry Riley
8-15    Good Medicine Dance 13:29
Composed By – Terry Riley
Tracklist 9 :
String Quartet No. 2    (21:51)
9-1    I. Moderato 3:12
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-2    II. Agitato 5:36
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-3    III. Mesto 6:41
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-4    IV. Moderato 6:22
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
String Quartet No. 4    (34:41)
9-5    I. Lento 9:01
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-6    II. Allegro 7:00
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-7    III. Lento 5:57
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-8    IV. Vivace 3:21
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
9-9    V. Lento 9:16
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
Concerto for choir (Concerto for soprano & chorus)   
9-10    Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief 8:13
Composed By – Alfred Schnittke
Tracklist 10 :
Jabiru Dreaming, String Quartet No. 11    (12:32)
10-1    I. Deciso 5:03
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-2    II. Amaroso 7:30
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
String Quartet No. 8    (11:54)
10-3    I. Con Dolore 2:03
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-4    II. Risoluto; Calmo 3:14
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-5    III. Con Dolore 3:02
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-6    IV. Con Precisione 1:35
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-7    V. Con Dolore 1:50
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
10-8    From Ubirr 11:12
Composed By – Peter Sculthorpe
Didgeridoo – Mark Nolan, Michael Brosnan
Memoirs of a Lost Soul, for string quartet
10-9    Tragedy At The Opera 6:29
Composed By – P. Q. Phan
White Man Sleeps, String Quartet No. 1    (22:20)
10-10    First Dance 4:03
Composed By – Kevin Volans
10-11    Second Dance 5:05
Composed By – Kevin Volans
10-12    Third Dance 3:23
Composed By – Kevin Volans
10-13    Fourth Dance 6:16
Composed By – Kevin Volans
10-14    Fifth Dance 3:20
Composed By – Kevin Volans
Credits :
Cello – Joan Jeanrenaud
Viola – Hank Dutt
Violin – David Harrington, John Sherba

JOHN ADAMS : Complete Piano Music (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

John Adams is a crowd-pleasing composer and as such depends on the large audiences of orchestral music for the musical dialogues in which he engages. Solo piano music didn't have the same kind of public when it came out, at least in the classical realm, and Adams has not written a great deal of music for the piano. The four works presented here by Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat are advertised as Adams' complete piano music, and only one, Phrygian Gates, is among his most popular works. The album makes a real contribution, for it demonstrates how Adams nevertheless worked on major compositional questions in his piano music; it is not a "byway" of his musical path. The works on the album date from between 1977 (Phrygian Gates and China Gates) and 2001 (American Berserk). They all in one way or another attest to Adams' success in incorporating a range of Romantic gestures into a minimalist language, a potent combination indeed that is fully accessible to anybody yet never lapses into sentimentality. He translates the combination into pianistic terms, with sweeping passages of repeated figures that ebb and flow as they offer the pianist something to work at. The four works are entirely different in personality, and American Berserk is an especially vivid manifestation of Adams' use of vernacular musical languages -- it abstracts the rhythms and textures of boogie woogie in a satisfying, colorful ride. Van Raat's approach emphasizes the neo-Romantic elements in Adams' music and provides a distinctively Continental interpretation that seems to suggest a continuing rise in and geographical diffusion of Adams' reputation. by James Manheim  

JOHN ADAMS - The Earbox : A 10-CD Retrospective (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Track Listing - Disc 1

Harmonium, for chorus & orchestra
1 I. Negative Love 10:32
John Adams
2 II. Because I Could Not Stop for Death 9:41
John Adams
3 III. Wild Nights 11:43
John Adams
Shaker Loops, for 7 strings or string orchestra
4 I. Shaking & Trembling 8:25
John Adams
5 II. Hymning Slews 5:08
John Adams
6 III. Loops & Verses 6:54
John Adams
7 IV. A Final Shaking 3:56
John Adams

Track Listing - Disc 2

1 The Chairman Dances, foxtrot for orchestra 12:36
John Adams
Grand Pianola Music, for 3 sopranos, 2 pianos, winds, brass & percussion
2 First Movement 15:12
John Adams
3 Second Movement 7:50
John Adams
4 Third Movement: On the Dominant Divide 7:59
John Adams
5 Fearful Symmetries, for orchestra 28:02
John Adams

Track Listing - Disc 3

Nixon in China, opera
1 Act 1. Scene 1. Opening 2:53
John Adams
2 Act 1. Scene 1. "Soldiers of heaven hold the sky" 2:48
John Adams
3 Act 1. Scene 1. "The people are the heroes now" 2:49
John Adams
4 Act 1. Scene 1. Landing of The Spirit of '76 2:22
John Adams
5 Act 1. Scene 1. "Your flight was smooth, I hope?" 1:19
John Adams
6 Act 1. Scene 1. "News has kind of mystery:" 7:09
John Adams
7 Act 1. Scene 3. "Ladies & gentlemen, Comrades & friends," 6:37
John Adams
8 Act 1. Scene 3. "Mr. Premier, distinguished guests," 2:36
John Adams
9 Act 1. Scene 3. Cheers 3:50
John Adams
10 Act 2. Scene 1. "This is prophetic!" 8:31
John Adams
11 Act 2. Scene 2. Opening 2:53
John Adams
12 Act 2. Scene 2. "Oh what a day / I thought I'd die!" 4:48
John Adams
13 Act 2. Scene 2. "Whip her to death!" 2:33
John Adams
14 Act 2. Scene 2. "I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung" 6:33
John Adams
15 Act 3. "Let us examine what you did." 2:43
John Adams
16 Act 3. "When I woke up" 1:20
John Adams
17 Act 3. "I have no offspring." 1:54
John Adams
18 Act 3. "I can keep still," 2:11
John Adams
19 Act 3. "After that - / The sweat / Had soaked my uniform" 2:28
John Adams
20 Act 3. "Peking watches the stars," 2:42
John Adams
21 Act 3. "You won at poker." 3:14
John Adams
22 Act 3. "I am old & cannot sleep" 4:24
John Adams

Track Listing - Disc 4

1 The Wound-Dresser, for baritone & orchestra 19:11
John Adams
2 Christian Zeal and Activity, for chamber ensemble 10:06
John Adams
3 Thoreau, song for voice & piano, S. 373 (K. 6B52) 1:56
Charles Ives [John Adams]
4 Down East, song for voice & piano, S. 236 (K. 6B60b) 2:28
Charles Ives [John Adams]
5 Cradle Song, song for voice & piano, S. 233 (K. 6B60a) 1:25
Charles Ives [John Adams]
6 At the River, song for voice & piano, S. 214 (K. 6B54) 1:16
Charles Ives [John Adams]
7 Serenity, song for voice & piano, S. 347 (K. 6B60d) 2:02
Charles Ives [John Adams]
8 Eros Piano, for piano & orchestra 14:52
John Adams

Track Listing - Disc 5

The Death of Klinghoffer, opera
1 Prologue. Chorus of the Exiled Palestinians 8:34
John Adams
2 Prologue. Chorus of the Exiled Jews 8:33
John Adams
3 Act 1. Scene 1. "It was just after 1:15" 8:09
John Adams
4 Act 1. Scene 1. " My Grandson Didi, who was two" 5:10
John Adams
5 Act 1. Scene 1. "Give these orders" 2:01
John Adams
6 Act 1. Scene 1. "So I said to my grandson" 1:17
John Adams
7 Act 1. Scene 1. "We are sorry for you" 1:17
John Adams
8 Act 1. Scene 1. Night Chorus 3:38
John Adams
9 Act 1. Scene 1. Chorus of Hagar & the Angel 5:24 John Adams 10 Act 2. Scene 1. "I've never been a violent man" 3:28 John Adams 11 Act 2. Scene 1. "You are always complaining of your suffering" 5:13
John Adams
12 Act 2. Scene 2. Aria of the Falling Body (Gymnopédie) 7:23 John Adams 13 Act 2. Scene 2. Day Chorus 4:30 John Adams
Track Listing - Disc 6

1 Tromba Lontana, fanfare for orchestra 4:17 John Adams 2 Short Ride in a Fast Machine, fanfare for orchestra 4:19 John Adams 3 Common Tones in Simple Time for orchestra 20:43 John Adams El Dorado, for orchestra 4 Part I. A Dream of Gold 12:39 John Adams 5 Part II. Soledades 16:09
John Adams

Track Listing - Disc 7

Harmonielehre, for orchestra
1 Part I. 17:12
2 Part II. The Anfortas Wound 12:24
3 Part III. Meister Eckhardt & Quackie 10:41
Violin Concerto
4 Part I. 14:56
5 Part II. Chaconne: "Body through which the dream flows" 11:30
6 Part III. Toccare 7:40 John Adams
Track Listing - Disc 8

Chamber Symphony
1 Mongrel Airs 7:50 John Adams 2 Aria with Walking Bass 8:13 John Adams 3 Roadrunner 5:52 John Adams Hoodoo Zephyr, for electronics
4 Tundra 10:34
John Adams
5 Disappointment Lake 8:15 John Adams 6 Hoodoo Zephyr 10:30 John Adams Gnarly Buttons, for clarinet & ensemble
7 The Perilous Shore 10:01 John Adams 8 Hoe-down (Mad Cow) 5:50 John Adams 9 Put Your Loving Arms Around Me 8:31 John Adams
Track Listing - Disc 9

I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, songplay
1 Act 1. I Was Looking at the Ceiling & Then I saw the Sky 8:05 2 Act 1. A Sermon on Romance 3:11 3 Act 1. Consuelo's Dream 4:55 4 Act 1. Mike's Song about Arresting a Particular Individual 3:22 5 Act 1. Tiffany's Solo 4:52 6 Act 1. Song about the On-Site Altercation 2:51 7 Act 1. Song about the Bad Boys & the News 6:20 8 Act 1. Your Honor My Client He's a Young Black Man 5:40 9 Act 1. Leila's Song: Alone (Again or at Last) 4:17 10 Act 2. Three Weeks & Still I'm Outta My Mind 5:12 11 Act 2. Crushed by the Rock I Been Standing On 4:37
12 Act 2. Dewain's Song of Liberation & Surprise 5:29
13 Act 2. Este País! / This Country! 4:27
14 Act 2. One Last Look at the Angel in Your Eyes 2:00
15 Act 2. Finale 4:36 John Adams
Track Listing - Disc 10

1 Lollapalooza, for orchestra 6:47
John's Book of Alleged Dances, for string quartet
2 Judah to Ocean 2:34 John Adams 3 Toot Nipple 1:15 John Adams 4 Dogjam 2:34 John Adams 5 Pavane: She's so Fine 6:34 John Adams 6 Rag the Bone 3:04
John Adams
7 Habanera 4:49
John Adams
8 Stubble Crotchet 2:44
John Adams
9 Hammer & Chisel 1:16
John Adams
10 Alligator Escalator 3:54
John Adams
11 Ständchen: The Little Serenade 4:58
John Adams
12 Judah to Ocean (reprise) 2:38
John Adams
13 Slonimsky's Earbox, for orchestra 13:20
John Adams