Adams: Absolute Jest & Grand Pianola Music

Editors’ Notes Echoes of Beethoven can be heard and felt throughout these bold works from the American minimalist icon. Commissioned by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Absolute Jest finds Adams expanding on the monumental energy and feeling of the legendary German composer’s ideas, with thrilling riffs on some of his most recognizable work. Also included is a haunting performance of Adams’ landmark Grand Pianola Music, a similarly inventive piece that approaches the emotional majesty of Beethoven with glowing arrangements that include gospel piano, brass band marches, and more.