Ode To Gravity:
Interview with John Adams, 1973

With host Charles Amirkhanian, composer/conductor/clarinet player John Adams, the newly appointed Director of the New Music Ensemble at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, discuss his academic and music background; the Ensemble; conducting; contemporary music; and the prospects of having new music performed by symphony orchestras. Recordings of Adams’‚ compositions “Heavy Metal” (set to words by William Burroughs), “American Standard” (including the three sections comprised of a march, a hymn and a jazz tune) and “Hockey Scene, Period 1”, an electronic piece composed for a multimedia performance that included dancers and multiple projection screens, are heard. In addition, there is a recording of Sections 5 and 7 of Christian Wolff's “Burdocks” performed by the Conservator's New Music Ensemble.