The case of John Adams
and le Minimalisme américain

The Cité de la musique and the Salle Pleyel in Paris recently dedicated March 16 to 27th 2010 to an important overview of the works of John Adams. Entitled Domaine privé: John Adams, le Minimalisme américain, the programs included several emblematic works from the composer’s early works and included a stage version of his most recent opera A Flowering Tree.  Adams generally accepts the categorization as a “minimalist,” but it is clear that whatever this style might once have represented for him, it is certainly no longer useful or appropriate to try to fit his music into this frame of reference. Through an overview of his five operas, ending with A Flowering Tree, another possible interpretation of Adams’s compositional intentions may be suggested.



Evan Rothstein has published articles ranging from various aspects of American music to the experimental music theater of Georges Aperghis. In 2008 he wrote a video interview with Steve Reich for the Cité de la musique, and in 2009-2010 has written program notes for both the Cité de la musique and the Théâtre de Châtelet. He completed degrees in violin performance at the Eastman School and Indiana University, including the Doctor of Music in violin; he also completed graduate degrees at the University of Paris 8 – Saint Denis, where he is currently an instructor in musicology.  Since 2005 he has been Chargé de mission for pedagogy at the ProQuartet-Centre européen de musique de chambre in Paris, and in 2009 was elected chairman of the European chamber music teachers association. Since 1997 he is professor of chamber music at the Summer String Academy of the University of Indiana (Bloomington).