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

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

by the American composer

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

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

Robert Hurwitz Robert Hurwitz (born 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 Rec ...

, the longtime president of

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

. It was first performed by the pianist

Jeremy Denk Jeremy Denk (born May 16, 1970 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American classical pianist and author of the memoir ''Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons'' (2022). Early life Denk did not come from a musical family. After s ...

at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

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

Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire but was an undistinguished student and ...

meets

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

." 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 subsidia ...

'', 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'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' 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 S ...

'', 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 Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

, 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