City Noir is a symphony inspired by the peculiar ambience and mood of Los Angeles 'noir' films, especially those produced in the late forties and early fifties. My music is an homage not necessarily to the film music of that period but rather to the overall aesthetic of the era. This symphony becomes the third in a triptych of orchestral works that have as their theme the California experience, its landscape and its culture. The two previous are The Dharma at Big Sur and El Dorado. City Noir was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in association with the London Symphony Orchestra, Cité de la Musique and ZaterdagMatinee. -John Adams