John Adams on Composing "Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?"

Composer John Adams introduces "Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?," his 2018 piano concerto that draws heavily on funk and rock influences, with movement markings like "Gritty, funky" and "Obsession/swing." This wide-ranging discussion touches on his admiration for Bartók (famously inspired by the popular folk music of his culture), as well as how Adams's lack of piano training helped drive his compositional process in different, novel directions.

Learn more about “Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes”: https://bit.ly/3mWw21d

Buy and listen to the recording by pianist Yuja Wang with the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel: https://dg.lnk.to/adams

Peruse the orchestral score here: https://www.boosey.com/cr/perusals/sc...

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Music:
"Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?" for piano and orchestra
Composed by John Adams
Performed by Yuja Wang, piano; Los Angeles Philharmonic; and Gustavo Dudamel

Audio and performance footage courtesy of:
Deutsche Grammophon

Film produced by Jesse Yang