Century Rolls

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Century Rolls is a 1997 piano concerto written by the American minimalist composer John Adams and commissioned by Emanuel Ax. It premeired on September 25, 1997 in Cleveland, Ohio, conducted by Cristoph von Dohnanyl and performed by Emanuel Ax on piano along with the Cleveland Orchestra.^[1] Adams conceived the work after hearing the distinct sounds of a 1920s player piano. This piece is his attempt at recreating that distinct sound. He tries to blend the past and the present. Adams says that it is his view on â€˜the whole past century of piano musicâ€™.^[2]

Not only does the title â€œCentury Rollsâ€ refer to â€˜the whole past century of piano musicâ€™ that Adams mentions, but also from the sound that Adams was inspired from, the early piano roll.^[3]

The concerto is just under 30 minutes long. The opening movement is nearly half the length of the entire piece followed by two shorter contrasting movements.

The work consists of three movements:

0. 1) First Movement

0. 2) Manny's Gym

0. 3) Hail, Bop

The movements are arranged fast/slow/fast

Scoring

Solo pft-2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.2-3.3.2.0-timp.perc(2):vib/xyl/wdbl/marimba/ high bongo/glsp-harp-cel-strings^[4]

1) First Movement- (14:55) It opens with a simple motif from the harp, piccolo, and flute over top of the pounding of the piano. As the piece evolves the strings, brass, and percussion accompany the softer sounds of the harp, piccolo, and flute, making the piece much more dynamic. The piano is central not only to this movement, but to the entire composition. The other instruments rotate in and out, but the sound of the piano is consistent and hammering. This contrasting sound represents, as Adams believes, the dichotomy between â€˜extravagant and unseriousâ€™. The light beginning filled with the softer sounds are fanciful and represent this â€˜unseriousâ€™ aspect. However, as the movement continues and builds the harder, more â€˜extravagantâ€™ sounds take over the piece. Adams mixes elements of Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Paderewski, and Jelly Roll Morton to create a modern piano roll sound.^[5]

2) Mannyâ€™s Gym- (6:22) As the second movement enters; it is much slower than the opening. The piano sound softens itself and the strings accompany with the same sensual sound. The sound of both the piano and the strings contrast greatly with the first movement. It is much more drawn out. It starts to build, but never reaches a crescendo. The sounds smooths down to a dreamlike trance. ^[6] While not directly referenced in the program notes, this movement contains clear musical references to the Italic textGymnopediesItalic text of Erik Satie. Hence the title "Manny's Gym".

3) Hail, Bop- (7:54) The third movement is a pun on the Hale-Bopp comet which appeared over America while Adams was writing the piece. The pounding sounds resonate throughout this movement, echoing the first movement and its â€˜extravagantâ€™ sound. Robert Stein writes that the â€˜finale (Hail Bop) takes us back to the bumpâ€™nâ€™boogie world of the first movement with its jabby syncopations and high speed scales and arpeggios.â€™ ^[7]

Adamâ€™s own wit is mirrored throughout â€œCentury Rollsâ€. He accentuates the standard steady beats of minimalism with remarkable piano melodies. The voices of every instrument may be heard throughout the piece, but do not reach the same grandeur as that of the piano. Its sound is commanding. Even in the second movement when the overall sound softens the piano is still in control. This is a piece not entirely characteristic to Adams, but one nonetheless that his audience is able to enjoy.^[8]