City Noir

rdf:langString City Noir

rdf:langString City Noir is a symphonic work by the composer John Adams. A primary inspiration for the piece is the work of historian Kevin Starr on urban California in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The composer characterizes the work as "jazz-inflected symphonic music", citing the French composer Darius Milhaud as originator of this trend. It has a duration of 35 minutes, features solos for alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, horn, viola, and double bass, and has three movements: 1. * The City and its Double 2. * The Song is for You 3. * Boulevard Night The piece was co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the London Symphony Orchestra in association with Cité de la Musique, the Zaterdag Matinee and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It received its first public performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic on October 8, 2009, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, with (viola), Timothy McAllister (alto saxophone), (horn), (trumpet), and (trombone) playing the prominent solo parts. This concert was filmed and subsequently televised internationally and released on DVD and digital download by Deutsche Grammophon.