World premiere The original version of
Absolute Jest received a mixed response from music critics.
Joshua Kosman of the
San Francisco Chronicle reflected much Adams's own criticism of the piece, observing of the musical allusions, "Some of that material proves propulsive in helpful ways. The theme from the scherzo of
Beethoven's Op. 131 quartet, for example, with its headlong drive toward five stuttering repeated notes, serves as a recurrent rhythmic motor, and Adams works some interesting variations on music from the
Op. 135 quartet. But the general character of the piece is so hyperactive, and the textures so thickly matted, that these points often don't register. And the scarcity of pieces for orchestra and string quartet – the one large and imposing, the other intimate and tonally homogeneous – turns out yet again to be well founded." Kosman added, "My favorite moment in
Absolute Jest came about eight minutes in, when Beethoven shut up for a moment and the orchestra lapsed into a tender reverie in Adams' own unmistakable voice: a cool, insinuating dreamscape with hard tonal edges that keep you focused. Then it was back to the musical calisthenics." Andy Gill of
The Independent similarly opined, "The orchestra's
ostinatos initially seem to hinder the string quartet's nimble interplay, but by the end of the opening section, the quartet seems suddenly freed, dancing gaily into the subsequent Presto. It's this lightness of spirit with which Adams evokes the scherzo, establishing an ebullient charm which continues through to the concluding 'Prestissimo'." The music was also praised by Eric C. Simpson of the
New York Classical Review, who observed, "At any rate, intended or not,
Absolute Jest should be devastatingly funny to any listener who is well versed in Beethoven's oeuvre." Lisa MacKinney of
Limelight said, "It's hugely playful, in the literal sense of scherzo as joke/jest, but it is by no means lightweight, flippant or ironic. Rather, it's a vivacious, lively homage, a recent example in a long line of composers (including
Brahms and Stravinsky, to name but two) looking back and 'sampling' the work of their forebears in order to create new and exciting compositions." In contrast to his original criticism of the piece,
Joshua Kosman more favorably wrote, "The harmonies and textures draw on Adams'
post-minimalist vein, while the thematic materials are Beethoven's – except that very often the two blur so beguilingly that it's hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. Credit certainly goes to Adams, though, for the piece's witty and startlingly inventive ending." This version of the concerto was not without its detractors, however. Reviewing a recording of the work, Andrew Clements of
The Guardian compared it unfavorably to Adams's
Grand Pianola Music, writing, "
Absolute Jest, though, is much harder to admire. The recording places the solo string quartet (the St Lawrence Quartet, for whom it was written) very far forward, which only emphasises the contrivance of the whole work; without the shards of Beethoven smuggled through the textures it would seem very dull indeed. But it keeps the Adams discography up to date, even if it's by no means the most successful of his recent works, while
Grand Pianola Music remains as glorious as ever." Philip Clark of
Gramophone remarked, "Beethoven, as he re-emerges in
Absolute Jest, is less of a waggish caricature. The nervy rhythmic tick of the Ninth Symphony's
Scherzo, forever looping and punctuating, frames the opening section. But Adams's reluctance to internalise this reference as raw compositional material reduces Beethoven to a soundbite – which ends up being photo-bombed by the
Seventh Symphony. Mashed-up fugue themes from the
Grosse Fuge and Op 131 lead to a finale that transforms the radiant opening chord progression of the
Waldstein Sonata into a funk stampede." He concluded, "The piece is an entertaining diversion and the San Francisco SO respond winningly to Adams's tailor-made if, at times, disappointingly generic orchestration." ==Recording==