The Wound-Dresser

The Wound-Dresser is a piece for chamber orchestra and baritone singer by composer John Adams. The piece is an elegiac setting of excerpts from American poet Walt Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser" (1865) about his experience as a hospital volunteer during the American Civil War.[1]

The Wound-Dresser
by John Adams
StylePostminimalism
Commissioned byCarillon Importers on behalf of Absolut Vodka, with assistance from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra through a gift from Daniel and Constance Kunin
Text"The Wound-Dresser" (Walt Whitman, 1865)
Composed1988
Durationabout 20 minutes
ScoringChamber orchestra and baritone singer
Premiere
Date24 February 1989
LocationSt Paul, Minnesota
ConductorJohn Adams
PerformersSanford Sylvan (baritone) Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

It was written for baritone singer Sanford Sylvan, who premiered it on 24 February 1989 in St Paul, Minnesota, with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer.[2] It was subsequently recorded by the same forces for Nonesuch Records.[3] Interpreters who have performed and recorded it since have included Thomas Hampson[4], Nathan Gunn,[5] Jeremy Huw Williams, and Christopher Maltman.[6]

In 2011, the Oregon Symphony performed and recorded the composition for Music for a Time of War.[7][8]

References
  1. Kim, Heidi Kathleen (2013-01-01). "Whitman's Identity at War: Contexts and Reception of John Adams' The Wound-Dresser". Walt Whitman Quarterly Review. 30 (2): 78–92. doi:10.13008/2153-3695.2056. ISSN 0737-0679.
  2. http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail.asp?musicid=3386
  3. "Fearful Symmetries / The Wound Dresser". www.nonesuch.com. Nonesuch Records. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  4. "Passion & Pain: Adams, Haydn & Schubert". www.prestoclassical.co.uk. Presto Classical. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  5. "Adams: Shaker Loops / Wound Dresser / Short Ride in a Fast Machine". www.naxos.com. Naxos Records. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  6. CD: BBCLJ30012; https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/adams-tromba-lontana-violin-concerto-the-wound-dresser
  7. Miller, Michael (April 7, 2012). ""Music for a Time of War" – The Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar play Ives, Adams, Britten, and Vaughan Williams on a Pentatone Release ... Highly Recommended!". The Berkshire Review. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  8. "Music for a Time of War". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  • The John Adams Earbox, Nonesuch Records, NY 1999
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