Nixon in China

Owen David · May 26, 2023, 01:29:59 PM

Views on Nixon in China?

I'm a bit ambivalent about it but it certainly has its moments.

Some background info on John Adams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-Ep6GkWwSc&t=724s

Daverz · May 26, 2023, 03:20:22 PM

I love it, though it does sag somewhat in the middle.

relm1 · May 26, 2023, 04:57:05 PM

It's very good. Borderline masterpiece. Full of nuance, subtext, lyricism, and drama. Far more complex than the title might make you think. I also love Doctor Atomic for the same reasons.

Wendell_E · May 28, 2023, 01:10:45 AM

Quote from: Daverz on May 26, 2023, 03:20:22 PMI love it, though it does sag somewhat in the middle.

I used to feel the same, but my problems were with the final act, but I've come to love that act, and the entire opera more and more over the years.

springrite · November 29, 2023, 02:46:17 AM

Saw the opera in LA in the 90's. I liked it better after seeing it as opposed to hearing bits of it from the radio.

Interesting that I actually danced in that ballet in the middle act when I was in elementary school (or was it middle school)...

SurprisedByBeauty · January 10, 2026, 11:00:02 PM

Saw a version in Budapest in the former Train Depository (the Opera's 2nd stage & costume/set archive) which made use, semi-incongruously but fun, of the old train that's parked in the main hall.
Reviewed it for Opera UK, thus no link, I'm afraid. (Because I know you were all itching to read about some performance that happened in the past in a city you should -- but aren't like to -- visit.

QuoteAndrás Almási-Tóth set the opera in a mix of realism and kitsch; using several platforms spread throughout the space in front of the train set to present the action, which often takes place in parallel strands. One assumes – but can't be sure – that costume designer Richárd Márton consulted the cultural sensitivity advisors before getting to work. His Chinese protagonists were certainly colorful and exotic - and a few lucky audience members were fed fortune cookies. Dressing the large chorus to look even vaguely Asian meant buying up every black wig in Budapest. If someone had had the heart to tell the men to shave as well, the effect might have been less jarring.

Wanderer · January 11, 2026, 02:40:56 AM

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on January 10, 2026, 11:00:02 PMSaw a version in Budapest in the former Train Depository (the Opera's 2nd stage & costume/set archive) which made use, semi-incongruously but fun, of the old train that's parked in the main hall.
Reviewed it for Opera UK, thus no link, I'm afraid. (Because I know you were all itching to read about some performance that happened in the past in a city you should -- but aren't like to -- visit.

Hah, nice! Attending a performance of Così fan tutte there in May.

SurprisedByBeauty · January 12, 2026, 11:28:27 AM

Quote from: Wanderer on January 11, 2026, 02:40:56 AMHah, nice! Attending a performance of Così fan tutte there in May.

Oh, neat! If you want to, let me know which of the three performances. Might just be in Budapest. Or let me know if you drop by in Vienna and I can probably take you to a concert, if you'd like.

Wanderer · January 13, 2026, 01:20:41 AM

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on January 12, 2026, 11:28:27 AMOh, neat! If you want to, let me know which of the three performances. Might just be in Budapest. Or let me know if you drop by in Vienna and I can probably take you to a concert, if you'd like.

I'll be attending Così fan tutte on 15 May. I'll be in Budapest for almost a week and in Vienna before and after that (already have Mahler 8 at the Konzerthaus on the 10th). If Budapest or Vienna works for you around then, just let me know nearer the date and we can see if anything lines up.

mystic chord · January 13, 2026, 05:43:52 AM

Musically, it represents quite a unique alchemy even within Adams' oeuvre: a kind of melange of Glass, Wagner and Gershwin that somehow works. I don't listen to Adams much beyond this and a couple smaller related pieces.