John Adams, 9/11 and classical music's continual role

I hope you have had a chance to read my article today (that made the front page again, if you can allow me to feel proud, though a Steelers story had better placement ;-) ) on John Adams' "On the Transmigration of Souls," his Pulitzer Prize-winning piece in memory of the victims of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. We also shot a short video, and don't miss the larger piece I wrote in October on Adams, who is this year's Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra composer of the year.

When Adams conducts the PSO this weekend, he is leading it is several works, including a symphony based on his much newer (and in the news because of its recent production at the Met) "Doctor Atomic" opera.

But I focused on "Transmigration" because it is history in the making, and that opportunity doesn't come that often for patrons in Heinz Hall. The work has bucked trends on the music typically used for civic consolation (Beethoven and Brahms, rather than music by the contemporaries of tragedies) and that is something special. I also focused on it because it is a fascinating piece of music that has such an interesting take on consolation, something that classical music has been particularly adept at for centuries now. It is really fascinating to see how a composer can come up with something new and compelling in a genre, if you will, that has had so many substantive statements already. So here's hoping you give it a chance.