John Adams & Víkingur Ólafsson

Saturday Evenings 2 (SA2) — Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson says “John Adams not only writes the most brilliant, amazingly fun music, he also gives that music the most amazing titles.” Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? starts with a bold, groovy statement unlike any other piano concerto, described by Adams as “edgy” with “a good dollop of American funk.” Adams pairs his concerto with Piazzola’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.