South Florida Classical Review

John Adams

Composer John Adams’ biennial appearances with the New World Symphony bring stimulating programs of new and recent music. On Saturday night at Miami Beach’s New World Center, Adams returns to lead two of his shorter works – Short Ride in a Fast Machine and the fanfare Tromba lontana. He also offers the local premiere of many words of love by his son Samuel Carl Adams. The junior Adams’ work received mixed reviews at its 2017 premiere by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Perhaps the most potentially interesting score on the program is Piano Concerto No. 3 (“The Blind Banister”) by Timo Andres, which received strong praise last year in New York. Commissioned by pianist Jonathan Biss, who solos in the New World performance, the work’s starting point is the cadenza Beethoven wrote for his Second Piano Concerto. Not conceived as a pastiche, Andres describes his work as a deconstruction of the original concept. Ingram Marshall’s Flow, a short work for piano and orchestra, receives its East coast premiere with composer Andres as soloist. David Lang, whose moving Little Match Girl Passion was recently performed by Seraphic Fire, is represented by mountain, a nature portrait and homage to Aaron Copland.

John Adams conducts the New World Symphony with piano soloists Jonathan Biss and Timo Andres 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the New World Center in Miami Beach. nws.edu; 305-673-3331.

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