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This piece was commissioned
by the Great Woods Festival for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra opening
concert in 1986. It is scored
for a large orchestra and is a frequently requested and performed fanfare
and encore in American concert halls. Adams has described
the piece as "running the gauntlet through that rhythmic tunnel"
and explains the title with the line "You know how it is when someone
asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn't?"
Although having been planned three times for Last Night of the Proms in the UK it has never been played
there due to it being deemed an inappropriate piece because of the events
that had occurred close to the dates of the concert it was scheduled for, i.e.
the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 attack. It was eventually heard in Britain
on the Blue Peter Prom of 2004.
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra recordings
EMI CDC 5 55051 2 (CD: John
Adams: Harmonielehre)
Conductor - Simon Rattle
Sources:
http://www.earbox.com/W-shortride.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Ride_in_a_Fast_Machine
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