I’ve recently been recovering from the dreaded lurgy and my attention span has been completely shot. Yet somehow I listened to this complete album with no breaks, from the very first gorgeous notes through to the final crashing timpani of the final piece, ‘Lollapalooza’.

To celebrate American composer John Adams’ 75th birthday, conductor Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich pulled together some of Adams’ most joyous works. I had never heard ‘Slonimsky’s Earbox’ and now all I want to do is bother my music director until I get to play it. Talk about love at first sight; I wanted to dive into the middle of the orchestra, luxuriating in the gorgeous harmonies and swinging up the vines of the funky scales. The delightfully named ‘My Father Knew Charles Ives’ is a musical autobiography and homage to the great composer, while ‘Tromba Lontana’ surprised me in its beauty. Comissioned by the Houston Symphony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Texas’ declaration of independence from Mexico, its understated opening trumpet melodic motifs are mixed with the sound of bells, allowing you to almost hear the passing of the years.

This is contemporary classical music at its best. Happy 75th birthday to John Adams, and lucky us to be able to celebrate with this album.

Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings.