Comments on: Adam's NIXON IN CHINA

Adam's NIXON IN CHINA

wittgenstein — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:01:06 -0800

John Adams. NIXON IN CHINA. Excerpts: News has a kind of mystery. Act 1 Scene 3. Act 2 Scene 2a. I am the wife of Mao Tse Tung. Chairman Dances.

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:20:57 -0800

Nice. I have a recording of Nixon in China, but had never seen what the performance actually looks like. Thanks for the post.

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:48:36 -0800

Adams' orchestral version of The Chairman Dances was my first exposure to his work, and it still has the power to thrill me every time I hear it. Thanks for reminding me to pull out & give another listen to my old copy of Nixon in China.

By: Bromius

Bromius — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:06:33 -0800

This is glorious, thank you.

By: LooseFilter

LooseFilter — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:27:51 -0800

This piece is absolute genius. That opening scene, where Nixon gets off the plane and sings 'news has a kind of mystery,' has so much packed into it: it recreates an important historical moment beautifully, it reflects upon how profoundly technology was changing the world and the immediate importance it brought to things as they happened, and also shows Nixon et al as the real people they were--especially Nixon's self-absorption comes to the fore immediately in that scene, as Chou En-lai is trying to introduce the various ranking officials but can't interrupt Nixon's train of thought. The whole opera is like that, beautiful and elegant and layered and the music is exquisite... I love this piece, thanks for this post.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:15:14 -0800

I have performed The Chairman Dances on stage. Nearly the toughest thing I've ever done (The rehearsals were tougher--what a learning curve).

By: rmannion

rmannion — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:07:57 -0800

Related: Here are two excerpts (sans video) from one of Adams' most recent works, A Flowering Tree: one, two. For those wanting to sample more of his work, I'd highly recommend Harmonielehre, The Dharma at Big Sur, and his Violin Concerto.

By: ersatz

ersatz — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:12:38 -0800

I saw it last year, certainly worthwhile.

By: wittgenstein

wittgenstein — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:20:07 -0800

Ersatz -- where was it performed? My wife just asked me two days ago if it had been performed lately and I didn't know the answer.

By: Mocata

Mocata — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:23:30 -0800

It was at the English National Opera last year, it was great.

By: punilux

punilux — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:31:21 -0800

I was fortunate to see the production in Edinburgh in 1988. It remains the most riveting thing I've ever seen on stage, and I saw Kurious Oranj the same year too. Thanks for the post which has reminded me I must dust off the CD later today.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:17:38 -0800

Very nice—I knew about the opera but had never heard (or seen) it, and I liked the "News" excerpt a lot. Thanks for the post! /off to watch more excerpts

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:15:17 -0800

OMG! I saw this once back in the 90s when it ran on public television and I've wanted to see it again ever since! Awesome! Thank you!

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:41:28 -0800

This is the same performance I saw on TV-- from its premiere at the Dallas Opera, I think? Fantastic.

By: lester the unlikely

lester the unlikely — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:04:47 -0800

Wow that's neat! My dad used to play this in the car during our long family roadtrips.

By: ersatz

ersatz — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:57:33 -0800

Ersatz -- where was it performed? My wife just asked me two days ago if it had been performed lately and I didn't know the answer. I saw it in Athens from the English National Opera. More info.

By: gwyon

gwyon — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:31:39 -0800

IIRC, the San Francisco Opera will present it sometime in the next couple of seasons. Their new GM had a Houston connection, and bringing it was part of the package.