The Chairman Still Dances

Politics is in the air, so we feature music inspired by a "politician" of the past, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung of China. John Adams drew on music from the third act of his opera "Nixon in China" to create his foxtrot for orchestra, "The Chairman Dances." The conceit of Adams' piece takes its cue from the scenario for act three: during a formal state dinner, the formidable Madame Mao (who was a Shanghai movie actress in an earlier life) invites a 40-foot tall portrait of her husband to come down and dance a foxtrot, as if they were "back in Yenan, dancing to the gramophone."

Other music featured on tonight's program includes:

Theolonious Monk / Ruby, My Dear
Johann Sebastian Bach / Well-Tempered Clavier Vol. II, BWV 893: Prelude No. 12 in F Minor
Edvard Grieg / Lyric Pieces: March of the Trolls, Op. 54/3
Frederic Rzewski / Down by the Riverside
Judd Greenstein / Folk Music