It is not just that conductor
Marin Alsop
is well suited generally to
John Adams
' music, with its kinetic rhythms and brassy, vivid style. The two are actually good friends, and she has a deep understanding of his music. This 2024
Naxos
release makes one want to hear a complete edition from
Alsop
and her
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
. She deserves credit for drawing out good jazzy brass lines in the opening work,
City Noir
(2009), something that is still not a given with central European musicians. The slow movement of that work, which, as a whole, evokes Los Angeles in the film noir era, is a remarkably atmospheric piece in
's hands. She does equally well with the more minimalist-oriented
Fearful Symmetries
(1988) and the final six-minute ride "Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance" (2016, rev. 2020), a work dedicated to
. These works aren't obscure, but they are not completely familiar, and programmers and listeners interested in the representation of cities in music will find it fascinating.
contributes excellent sound from an Austrian Vienna Radio studio, bringing out many small details. A very fine
Adams
release that made classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2024. ~ James Manheim