John Adams - Doctor Atomic Symphony (Official Score Video w/ Live Chat Commentary)

The Juilliard School and Boosey & Hawkes present a Live Score Reading of John Adams’s “Doctor Atomic Symphony,” featuring a recording of the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Adams himself. ***This video was premiered on YouTube on August 13. Click “SHOW CHAT REPLAY“ in the top right corner next to this video to see live comments from our special guest commentators: conductor David Robertson (director of conducting studies, distinguished visiting faculty at Juilliard), Emma Frucht, Violin MM 19’ (Concertmaster on recording), and Dr. Kyle Blaha (Juilliard Ear Training Faculty). *** ================= ABOUT DOCTOR ATOMIC SYMPHONY: I. The Laboratory II. Panic III. Trinity Dedicated to David Robertson, who gave the first American performances in Saint Louis and at Carnegie Hall, John Adams’s “Doctor Atomic Symphony” draws music from Adams acclaimed 2005 opera, and is cast in a sustained, 25-minute arch form. The symphonic work captures the spirit of the opera, conjuring a devastated post-nuclear landscape right from the start with the pounding timpani and Varèse-like jagged brass fanfares. The symphony also includes the frenzied “panic music” from Act II evoking the fierce electrical storm that lashes the test site in the hours before the bomb’s detonation. Adams transforms specific vocal lines into instrumental solos: the boorish trombone music that imitates U.S. Army General Leslie Groves berating the scientists and his military subordinates, as well as the symphony’s stirring conclusion—a solo trumpet intoning the opera’s moving “Batter My Heart” aria. Learn more about the piece: Purchase the full score: Music: Doctor Atomic Symphony Composed by John Adams Performed by John Adams and the Juilliard Orchestra, 2018 Archival performance recording courtesy of The Juilliard School #BHStudyScore