''I Still Play'' is a set of variations composed in 2017 for solo

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

by the American composer

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

lasting approximately five and a half minutes. The work was composed to celebrate the retirement of

Robert Hurwitz Robert Hurwitz (born in 1949) was president of Nonesuch Records from 1984 to 2017. He was named Chairman Emeritus of Nonesuch Records in January 2017. He previously ran the American operations of ECM Records, after beginning his career at Columbia ...

, the longtime president of Nonesuch Records. It was first performed by the pianist Jeremy Denk at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

on April 1, 2017. Adams has described the sound of the piece as " Satie meets

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

." The composer later explained the title of the work in an interview with ''

The Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiar ...

'', remarking, "I'd organized a concert in obert'shonor at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and asked about 10 of the composers he'd worked with to write short pieces. I'd overheard someone talking to Bob – they said, 'I didn't know you played the piano.' And Bob said 'Yes, I still play.' So I called my piece 'I Still Play.'"

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere,

Mark Swed Mark Swed (born ) is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the ''Los Angeles Times'' where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' described the piece as "impressive" and "intensely played" by Denk. Reviewing a later performance at the

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (often referred to as the Kravis Center) is a not-for-profit, professional performing arts center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. History 1978–1992 In 1978, the Palm Beach County Council of the Ar ...

, Kevin Wilt of the ''South Florida Classical Review'' wrote, "A short, curious piece, which, like Adams' string quartet concerto, ''

Absolute Jest ''Absolute Jest'' is a concerto for string quartet and orchestra by the American composer John Adams. The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony for the orchestra's centennial. Its world premiere was given at the Louise M. Davies Sy ...

'', it plays in the sandbox of other composers to Adams's clear enjoyment." He added, "Adams here toys with fragments and progressions borrowed from Bach and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

, allowing Denk to provide a whimsical spin on a familiar language."

References

Compositions by John Adams (composer) Minimalistic compositions Compositions for solo piano 2017 compositions {{Classical-composition-stub