Thomas Adés (1971-Present)

Introduction
Adès is a British composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in 1971 in London. He has written orchestral works, operas, choral music, and chamber music.

Work Analysis
I chose to analyze Polaris by Thomas Adès. It was performed in 2010. The piece is a full orchestra piece and immediately grabs your attention with a piano riff that is used throughout the entirety of the piece by not only the piano, but other instruments as well. The brass section also plays a prominent role in the piece as it almost has a call and response idea with the piano theme as it progresses on.

Thomas Adès - Polaris (2010)Comparisons
This work reminds me of something that I would hear from Ives. It almost sounds like it is trying to paint a natural picture in my mind and put me in another place physically. Ives' Concord Sonata did that for me and I can relate this piece to that because of its effect on me as a listener.

Observations
Overall, I enjoyed the piece. I thought it built up really well and had some really cool, unique melodies that I almost wish I had thought of. Adès uses both tonal and atonal aspects in this piece and I believe that they work together really well without too much clashing.