John Adams

Known for Sound

2/15/1947(Age 78)

Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

Biography

John Adams is an American musician, conductor, and music composer. Together with Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Terry Riley, he is one of the most famous representatives of minimal music.

Known For (4 credits)

Movie

The Unanswered Ives: American Pioneer of Music

2018

The Unanswered Ives is the first film about Charles Ives (1874-1954), an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. The 60-minute documentary sheds light on Ives' life and work in all its facets and inconsistencies. American singer and composer Frank Zappa included Charles Ives in a list of influences that he presented in the liner notes of his debut album Freak Out! (1966). Ives continues to influence contemporary composers, arrangers and musicians. Planet Arts Records released Mists: Charles Ives for Jazz Orchestra. Ives befriended and encouraged a young Elliott Carter. In addition, Phil Lesh, bassist of the Grateful Dead, has described Ives as one of his two musical heroes.

Movie

Short Rides with John Adams

2017

The film Short Rides with John Adams by Magdalena Zięba-Schwind and Daniel Finkernagel documents the composer and conductor’s residency: it shows him in rehearsals, in conversation with artist friends, and accompanies him on visits to museums and walks through Berlin.

Movie

Hail Bop! A Portrait of John Adams

2006

Shot over the course of a year, this intimate portrait of provocative composer John Adams presents scenes of the artist at work and at play against the backdrop of dramatic American landscapes that reflect the themes of his music. Though he has a number of credits to his name, Adams is best known for his unconventional opera "Nixon in China," which explores the former U.S. president's meeting with Mao Zedong in 1972.

Movie

John Adams: A Portrait and A Concert of Modern American Music

2000

Peer into the world of contemporary composer John Adams with this documentary that blends performance footage with insightful interviews and commentary from his collaborators and the master himself. Highlights include performances of Adams's Grammy Award-winning operas “Nixon in China” and “El Niño” and excerpts from Penny Woolcock’s film adaptation of “The Death of Klinghoffer”. Works by Steve Reich and Conlon Nancarrow are also performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain at the Théâtre Musical de Paris-Châtelet.