The Wonderful Solitude of Samuel Adams

Symbol

After Ludwig van Beethoven decided to dedicate his Third Symphony to Napoleon, news arrived that the ruler had himself crowned emperor. 'Another tyrant, a normal mortal', Beethoven flew into a rage and renamed his symphony 'Eroica', making the work a symbol of the ideals of the French Revolution, which Napoleon destroyed. Béla Bartók performed his Third Piano Concerto, his last work before his death, with more love; it was to ensure that his wife had a source of income after his death.

Desert colors

Variations by Samuel Adams also has a history. He would write the work as a composer in residence at Het Concertgebouw in 2020. During the pandemic, he ended up in the Nevada desert. There, the son of composer John Adams was amazed by the infinite variety of colours and wrote his Variations, constructed according to the Fibonacci series. Tranquil atmospheres and vast orchestral fans evoke the atmosphere of Adams' beautiful loneliness.