Dark Waves engulf Chicago

The composer John Luther Adams has received several high-profile performances in recent years, but none quite as prominent as the one that the Chicago Symphony is about to give him: tomorrow night, the mightiest of American ensembles will deliver the first of three renditions of the twelve-minute tone poem Dark Waves. As Marc Geelhoed observes, Chicago has effectively become JLA City. I will interview Adams tomorrow on the campus of Northwestern University, at 4PM. You can hear all of Dark Waves via the Listen to This Audio Guide; the conductor there is Jaap van Zweden, who also leads the work in Chicago. The program also includes a selection of Mahler songs, with Measha Brueggergosman, and Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony. Prepare to be clobbered.