American composer John Adams is often associated with the compositional style known as minimalism. Unlike the strongly profiled musical architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries, minimalist works evolve through a process described as "phase shifting," in which music changes almost imperceptibly within seemingly constant repetition. In writing music that brings simplicity into the foreground, part of the aim was to make musical structure something with which listeners could easily engage. In the composer's own words, “There's nothing wrong with entertaining your audience.” 

Completed in 1986, Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a post-minimalist piece—minimalist principles applied to more dramatic settings. About the title, Adams comments, “You know how it is when someone asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn’t?”  In the extremely brief work, Adams merges the joyful exuberance of a colorful instrumental fanfare with many of the hallmarks of minimalism—steady meter, repetition, and straightforward and tuneful harmonic language. The result is a breathlessly brief, thrilling orchestral composition. 

—Jennifer More, ©2023