Few living composers have reshaped the sound of contemporary classical music as distinctively as John Adams. Across five decades, Adams has built a body of work renowned for depth of expression, brilliance of sound, and profound humanity.
Today, he stands as one of the defining musical voices of our time, “arguably our greatest living composer.” (The New York Times)
In 2027, as Adams celebrates his 80th birthday year, the Australian Chamber Orchestra will mark the occasion with The John Adams Almanac; a concert curated by Adams and ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti that brings together music spanning Adams's remarkable creative world. At its centre is a compelling gift: Gioia, a world premiere written especially for Tognetti and ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä, and the only new composition Adams will unveil during his anniversary year.
The collaboration feels like a natural meeting of musical minds, written for musicians who have become trusted collaborators and artistic friends, with Tognetti describing the relationship as “a natural fit”. For years, the ACO has had a special connection with Adams's music, particularly Shaker Loops, the breakthrough 1978 work that the ACO will also perform in this program. Described as “an astonishingly original sonic world” (The New York Times), Shaker Loops is characterised by surging waves of sound, shimmering textures and physical intensity. It’s a favourite of ACO Cello Melissa Barnard. "I love playing John Adams's Shaker Loops, with its joyful, trembling string energy, and to premiere a new work of his next year as well will be very special," she says.
Today, he stands as one of the defining musical voices of our time, “arguably our greatest living composer.” (The New York Times)
In 2027, as Adams celebrates his 80th birthday year, the Australian Chamber Orchestra will mark the occasion with The John Adams Almanac; a concert curated by Adams and ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti that brings together music spanning Adams's remarkable creative world. At its centre is a compelling gift: Gioia, a world premiere written especially for Tognetti and ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä, and the only new composition Adams will unveil during his anniversary year.
The collaboration feels like a natural meeting of musical minds, written for musicians who have become trusted collaborators and artistic friends, with Tognetti describing the relationship as “a natural fit”. For years, the ACO has had a special connection with Adams's music, particularly Shaker Loops, the breakthrough 1978 work that the ACO will also perform in this program. Described as “an astonishingly original sonic world” (The New York Times), Shaker Loops is characterised by surging waves of sound, shimmering textures and physical intensity. It’s a favourite of ACO Cello Melissa Barnard. "I love playing John Adams's Shaker Loops, with its joyful, trembling string energy, and to premiere a new work of his next year as well will be very special," she says.
"A modern classic... it remains one of minimalism's most enduringly vibrant, beautifully textured masterworks."The Guardian on Adams’s Shaker Loops
This excitement is shared across the Orchestra as the musicians prepare to bring Adams' newest creation to life.
Gioia is written in the spirit of the concerto grosso, where two solo violins engage in fluid dialogue with the orchestra around them. It promises to showcase both the individual virtuosity of Tognetti and Vänskä alongside the collective energy that has come to define the ACO.
For Vänskä, the work represents something even deeper: a gift from a composer whose music has shaped generations of performers and listeners.
Gioia is written in the spirit of the concerto grosso, where two solo violins engage in fluid dialogue with the orchestra around them. It promises to showcase both the individual virtuosity of Tognetti and Vänskä alongside the collective energy that has come to define the ACO.
For Vänskä, the work represents something even deeper: a gift from a composer whose music has shaped generations of performers and listeners.
"With Gioia, John Adams has given us the best gift a musician could wish for. We are thrilled to perform it in his 80th birthday year, with our deepest gratitude and respect to this musical titan of our times."ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä
It’s the spirit of continual reinvention that has defined Adams's career from the beginning. Emerging in the 1970s, he absorbed the pulse and repetition of minimalism before pushing beyond its boundaries, creating music that was more expansive, dramatic and emotionally rich. From concert halls to opera houses around the world, his work has consistently expanded ideas about what contemporary music can be.
For us, Gioia is more than a world premiere. It’s a treasured gift, and a celebration to cherish. For our audiences, it’s an opportunity to hear the latest from a living legend, one of contemporary music’s most influential figures, brought to life by the master musicians of the ACO.
For us, Gioia is more than a world premiere. It’s a treasured gift, and a celebration to cherish. For our audiences, it’s an opportunity to hear the latest from a living legend, one of contemporary music’s most influential figures, brought to life by the master musicians of the ACO.
"[Adams is] the musician who comes closest to mirroring the often baffling complexities and contradictions of the contemporary American condition... doing it for decades with a kind of determined, fearless joy."Gramophone Magazine on John Adams
