John Adams on Composing and Creative Freedom

2022-12-14 · 46 min · episode 166 · 10 entities

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→ appeared on Conversations podcast

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John Adams on Composing and Creative Freedom
→ works at Tyler company

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joined Tyler
→ discusses Society & Culture concept

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Feed category: Society & Culture
→ discusses Education concept

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Feed category: Education
→ hosted by Mercatus Center at George Mason University company

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Feed author/publisher: Mercatus Center at George Mason University

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mentioned Mercatus Center at George Mason University company

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Feed author/publisher: Mercatus Center at George Mason University
mentioned Tyler company

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joined Tyler
works at Tyler company

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joined Tyler
hosted by Mercatus Center at George Mason University company

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Feed author/publisher: Mercatus Center at George Mason University

concepts 4

mentioned Society & Culture concept

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Feed category: Society & Culture
mentioned Education concept

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Feed category: Education
discusses Society & Culture concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Society & Culture
discusses Education concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Education

persons 1

mentioned John Adams person

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John Adams on Composing and Creative Freedom

podcasts 1

appeared on Conversations podcast

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evidence rules-v4
John Adams on Composing and Creative Freedom

Episode description as stored

Is classical music dying? For John Adams the answer is an emphatic no. Considered by Tyler to be America's greatest living composer, he may well be one of the people responsible for keeping it alive. John's contemporary classical music is some of the most regularly performed and he is well-known for his historically themed operas such as Nixon in China, Doctor Atomic, and most recently Antony and Cleopatra . He is also a conductor and author of, in Tyler's words, a "thoughtful and substantive" autobiography . He joined Tyler to discuss why architects have it easier than opera composers, what drew him to the story of Antony and Cleopatra, why he prefers great popular music to the classical tradition, the "memory spaces" he uses to compose, the role of Christianity in his work, the anxiety of influence, the unusual life of Charles Ives, the relationship between the availability and appreciation of music, how contemporary music got a bad rap, his favorite Bob Dylan album, why he doesn't think San Francisco was crucial to his success, why he doesn't believe classical music is dead or even dying, his fascination with Oppenheimer, the problem with film composing, his letter to Leonard Bernstein, what he's doing next, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Recorded September 14th, 2022 Support the podcast by making a donation during this holiday season! Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox.