John Adams & Conrad Tao

Saturday Evenings 2 (SA2) — Inspired by the self-playing pianos of the early 1920s, John Adams’ Century Rolls imitates the machine-like chirping and precise, continuous motion of player pianos. Pulsating woodwinds, pizzicato strings, flashes of brass, and metallic percussion accompany the piano as it “moves in and out of precipitous situations with the ease of a roadrunner,” Adams says. “[T]he casual listener will be able to detect homages to Fats Waller, Gershwin, Zez Confrey, and even to Ravel and Debussy, all of whom shared the experience of hearing their music transformed by the medium of the piano roll.” When Conrad Tao performed Adams’ concerto in 2023, Cleveland’s Plain Dealer called him “an animated pianist who doesn’t just play every rhythmic motif, from jagged punches to sublime bits of melody, but truly embodies them.” Adams pairs his concerto with Piazzolla’s liberating Two Tangos and two impassioned Russian works—Stravinsky’s lavish and visceral Song of the Nightingale and the suite from Prokofiev’s first film score. Though Prokofiev claimed to not know “what kind of sauce” to put on the music, Lieutenant Kijé is undoubtedly marked with his signature sound that blends satire and sentiment. This performance is generously supported by the Contemporary Initiatives Fund and Christian Stracke. Please Note: Due to illness, pianist Víkingur Ólafsson regrets he will not be able to appear with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in John Adams’ Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? during the April 25–26 performances, as previously announced. He will be replaced by pianist Conrad Tao, who will perform Adams’ Century Rolls. Tickets purchased for the concert remain valid for John Adams & Conrad Tao. No action is needed for those ticketholders. For other ticket options, including exchange, account credit, donation, or refund, please contact Audience Services at information@laphil.org.