Requiem for Adam is the last of the Three Requiem Quartets that Terry Riley has written in recent years to commemorate the deaths of people close to the members of Kronos (the first two being Mario in Cielo and Lacyrmosa [Remembering Kevin]). Requiem for Adam was composed in memory of Adam Harrington, son of David and Regan Harrington, who died while walking with his family on Mt. Diablo, California, on April 16, 1995, when a blood clot in his coronary artery caused his heart to fail. A similarly commemorative spirit lies behind The Philosopher’s Hand, a solo piano piece composed spontaneously in memory of Riley’s teacher Pandit Pran Nath, and featured on this recording in a performance by the composer.
SELECT CREDITS
Kronos Quartet
David Harrington, violin
John Sherba, violin
Hank Dutt, viola
Jennifer Culp, cello
Terry Riley, piano
“Cortejo Fúnebre en el Monte Diablo” backing track made by Terry Riley from playback samples created on an Ensoniq TS12 with a Emagics Logic sequencing engine.
Produced by Judith Sherman
Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz