Classical Music Happy Hour

Episode: John Adams – Not the President

Host: Emanuel (Manny) Ax
Guest: John Adams (composer)
Date: March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This engaging episode of Classical Music Happy Hour features lauded American composer John Adams (not the President)—known for landmark works like Nixon in China and Short Ride in a Fast Machine—in witty, insightful conversation with pianist and host Emanuel Ax. They explore Adams’ approach to composing for instruments he doesn’t play, the stories behind his memorably titled works, evolving trends in classical music, family, influences, and more. The episode also includes lively listener questions, hands-on music games, and Adams’ reflections on the nature of inspiration, communication in art, and staying fresh as a living composer.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. On Composing Without Playing the Piano

• [01:52 – 04:18]
  • Manny Ax expresses admiration for Adams’ piano writing despite Adams not being a pianist.
  • Adams: “It’s kind of a miraculous thing that I can’t play the piano. And when I sit down, you know, strange things come out... it’s possible that because... my hands don’t go down on the keyboard in the conventional way, perhaps I come up with ideas that somebody who is a pianist wouldn’t dream of.” (04:03)
  • Both agree that outsiders’ perspectives can lead to fresh, original results.

2. Behind the Titles: “Hale Bop,” “Gnarly Buttons,” and More

• [05:23 – 07:11]
  • Adams shares stories behind quirky titles, from “Hale Bop” (misheard comet) to “Scheherazade.2” and “Gnarly Buttons.”
  • Adams: “I just love titling my pieces...One of them I call Naive and Sentimental Music, which is a term that comes from Schiller.” (06:40)
  • He values titles as a creative act, echoing approaches by Steve Reich (e.g., “Music for 18 Instruments”).

3. The Evolution of Musical Forms

• Listener Q&A [08:03 – 11:24]
  • Mary from New Jersey asks how musical styles evolved over 400 years.
  • Adams: “Music evolves in response to technological inventions...and also, music responds to societal changes...music evolves just like life does.” (08:39–09:55)
  • Adams and Ax discuss how complexity is often followed by a move toward simplicity in cycles.
  • Adams: “Turn the page [from Schoenberg and Webern] and it's Steve Reich.” (11:15)

4. Composer Name Mix-Ups & Family Life

• [11:47 – 12:46]
  • Both recount being mistaken for other musicians (e.g., John Cage).
  • Adams talks about his family’s creative pursuits: “The only thing we’re missing in our family is somebody in finance to pay for it all.” (12:36)

5. Creative Process: Puzzles, Intuition, and Magellan

• [12:52 – 15:05]
  • Ax likens assembling Adams’ music to a mosaic or puzzle.
  • Adams: “I liken my creative process more to Magellan just leaving, knowing that there’s something out there, but not knowing exactly what it is or where it is.” (14:09)
  • He avoids over-analysis to protect both “devils” and “angels” of creativity (paraphrasing John Cage).

6. On Reading, Languages, and Ferrante

• [15:29 – 16:29]
  • Adams enjoys reading in other languages—lately Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet in Italian.
  • Anecdotes about German’s linguistic complexity, Thomas Mann, and the challenge of reading Dr. Faustus.

7. Music, Drinking, and First Albums

• [18:35 – 19:33]
  • Adams chooses craft IPAs after work.
  • First album purchases: Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Sibelius symphonies, Copland’s Appalachian Spring score.

8. Dinner with Composers and ‘Minor Key’ Mystery

• Listener Q&A [20:16 – 22:09]
  • Barbara from Knoxville: Which composers use minor keys most effectively?
  • Adams: “I think that there is a great repertoire of music that is essentially on the dark side of human experience, and those are the ones that are in the minor keys.” (20:36)
  • Braham’s and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony highlighted for their depth in the minor.

9. Writing Operas: Texts and Inspirations

• [22:37 – 24:03]
  • Adams explains his operas always start from the text or concept, never from music alone, and shares the origin stories behind Nixon in China, Doctor Atomic, and Antony and Cleopatra.

10. Adams’ Favorite Handel Discovery

• [24:10 – 27:57]
  • Adams discusses falling in love with a Handel aria (“Tu del ciel ministro eletto”) after reviewing the book Every Valley; he admires Handel’s melodic craft and urges himself to remember the importance of beautiful melody.

11. Setting Words to Music

• [28:05 – 29:11]
  • Adams stresses the importance of setting quality texts, drawing on past work with Alice Goodman and classics like John Donne and Emily Dickinson: “There’s such great music within a great text, you know...” (28:37)
  • He is attentive to uniquely American rhythms when setting English poetry.

12. Art, Communication, and Being a Living Composer

• [29:18 – 31:36]
  • Adams reflects on the importance of emotional communication in music: “Music...is really about communicating feeling. And I care deeply about communicating what I feel to my audiences.” (29:53)
  • Discusses the oddity and expectations of being labeled a “living composer” versus visual or theater artists, and public comfort levels with new music.

13. The Power of the “Earworm”

• [31:57 – 32:17]
  • Adams encourages younger composers to write more melodies that stick: “There aren’t enough earworms being written today. Write some earworms.” (31:57)
  • Explains an earworm: “Just a melody… that gets stuck in your head. It’s so good, you can’t stop hearing it.” (32:09)

Memorable Quotes

• “It’s kind of a miraculous thing that I can’t play the piano... Perhaps I come up with ideas that somebody who is a pianist wouldn't dream of.”
  — John Adams (04:03)

• “Music evolves just like life does.”
  — John Adams (09:55)

• “I liken my creative process more to Magellan—just leaving, knowing that there's something out there, but not knowing exactly what it is or where it is.”
  — John Adams (14:09)

• “Art, and particularly music, above and beyond all music, is really about communicating feeling. And I care deeply about communicating what I feel to my audiences.”
  — John Adams (29:53)

• “There aren’t enough earworms being written today. Write some earworms.”
  — John Adams (31:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Composing for Piano / Instrumental Outsidership: 01:52–04:18
• Titles & Inspirations: 05:23–07:11
• Listener Q: Musical Evolution: 08:03–11:24
• Composer Name Funnies & Family: 11:47–12:46
• Creative Process & Puzzles: 12:52–15:05
• On Reading/Writing in Other Languages: 15:29–16:29
• IPAs & First Albums: 18:35–19:33
• Listener Q: Minor Keys: 20:16–22:09
• Origins of Adams’ Operas: 22:37–24:03
• Handel Discovery / “Tu del ciel ministro eletto”: 24:10–27:57
• On Text in Music: 28:05–29:11
• Communication as Core of Art: 29:18–31:36
• Earworms: 31:57–32:17

Games and Light Moments

• Music Performance Markings Quiz

  • Hilarious real and faux performance instructions (35:56–38:41):
    • Satie’s genuine marking: “Arm yourself with clairvoyance.”
    • Mozart’s wit: “Mr. Ass, are you finished yet? A sheep could trill like that.”
    • Kagel’s avant-garde: “Strike with the utmost force on the paper membrane of the timpani, in the process disappearing down to the waist in the body of the instrument.”

• Beer Puns & Dinner with Mozart

  • “So you grin and beer it.” — Manny Ax, on choosing an IPA. (18:44)
  • Both agree Mozart and Haydn would be fun dinner guests. (20:08)

Conclusion

Emanuel Ax and John Adams’ conversation is both warm and illuminating, bringing together behind-the-scenes musical craftsmanship, candid reflections, literary influences, and plenty of humor. The episode demystifies both composing and the ongoing evolution of classical music, making the field approachable, witty, and very human. Longtime classical fans and newcomers alike will find much to enjoy—and, thanks to Ax’s astute questions, many reasons to return for a second listen.

For listeners interested in tracking down featured music, asking their own questions, or learning more about contemporary composition, this episode is an accessible, lively entry point.