John Adams
(American; b. 1947)

The Chairman Dances

Composed 1985; Duration 12 minutes

In the late 1970s, John Adams found himself emulating the minimalism of composers like Philip Glass. However, he was ten years younger and had the freedom to avoid the movement’s dogmas, using the genre’s rhythmic drive and harmonic simplicity while referencing Romanticism, Modernism, and even big band. This is on display in his groundbreaking and lasting opera Nixon in China (premiered in 1987) about Richard Nixon’s remarkable 1972 visit to China. The work was the first of many operatic collaborations between Adams and famed director Peter Sellars.

The Minnesota Symphony Orchestra commissioned a concert work from Adams, for which he used music for the opera that was left in the editing room. The Chairman Dances, subtitled Foxtrot, is often considered a concert companion work to the opera, and depicts Madame Mao crashing the presidential banquet. Chairman Mao joins her for a dance. A tidy representation of Nixon in China, The Chairman Dances (by the way, “Dances” is meant to be a verb, not a noun) features sophisticated orchestration, luminous harmonies, and enthralling rhythmic propulsion.

Chaz Stuart, 2026