John Adams: Complete Piano Music

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Bernard Holland wrote in the New York Times: "Ralph van Raat plays all four items for Naxos, with Maarten van Veen as the second pianist in 'Hallelujah Junction.' … The early 'Phrygian Gates' is a monster, at almost 25 minutes. It adheres to familiar patterns of gathering repeated notes and slow, measured trills, and it moves by way of creeping intrusions that propel one meter into a new one. The tones vary from pastels to Romantic piano sound to a racing, thundering finale. 'China Gates,' a companion piece, is more elegant geometry: quieter, more contained and a fourth as long. … 'American Berserk,' from 2001, sits on a foundation of stride and boogie piano. Its heavy hand and sharp elbows make brutality into a compositional tool. There are whiffs of nostalgia for the 1930s and for Gershwin in particular. Listen for 'I Got Rhythm' in a cameo appearance. … Mr. Adams, once described as a Minimalist bored by Minimalism, might not mind Mr. van Raat's repeated notes, which are not always steady and immaculate. He would surely like Mr. van Raat's hard work and enthusiasm in music that is sometimes very complicated indeed." (4/29/07).