Bonus Track: The Wind in High Places by John Luther Adams

Published: July 7, 2014, 4 a.m.

b'Gordon Wright, the Alaskan composer, conductor, professor and environmentalist, was John Luther Adams\'s best friend. When he died suddenly in 2007, Adams wrote three pieces for solo violin titled\\xa0Three High Places, vignettes representing moments Adams and Wright shared while camping.\\xa0These pieces eventually led Adams to write his first string quartet, at age 59, called\\xa0The Wind in High Places. In a process that Adams likens to "primitive man discovers fire," he approached the traditional music form in a way that felt true to his compositional identity. The entire work is built on natural harmonics and open strings, allowing an airy, breathy timbre.'