Photo Credit: Cory Weaver Premiering at San Francisco Opera just last year, John Adams’ newest opera, “Antony and Cleopatra” brought the story of the ill-fated lovers to the 21st century with a score that echoed the profound feelings each lover had for the other. On the back of previous renditions of the infamous story, such as Samuel Barber’s 1966 version, {…}
(Photo by Richard Terborg) John Adams‘ “Doctor Atomic” has returned to the Netherlands for the first time in 16 years courtesy of Stichting LustrumOpera. The production, which opened on July 13, 2023, will run through July 25 at the Werkspoorkathedrall in Uthrect and stars Quirijn de Lang as Dr. Oppenheimer and Jeannette van Schaik as Kitty Oppenheimer. Other cast members {…}
IN Series is set to present John Adams’ “I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky” starting on April 14, 2023. Written by June Jordan, the work presents “events of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake with its searing, compassionate, and prescient exploration of broken justice and migration systems, police violence against young Black men, family border separation and {…}
Photo: Anke Sundermeier In 1972, President Nixon made his historic visit to China. The event, at the time, was seen as a pivotal moment in establishing political relations with a country that, since World War Two, had remained largely closed to the wider international community. The significance of Nixon’s visit was reflected in the fact that it received widespread media {…}
On December 21, 2022, American Modern Opera Company will present John Adam’s “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered” at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This chamber work, with libretto by Peter Sellars and concept by Julia Bullock, first made its premiere in San Martín at Fuentidueña chapel of The Met Cloisters in 2018. The case of this one-night concert features {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver) “I am fire and air; my other elements I give to baser life.” So sings Cleopatra in John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra.” The baser life about which Cleopatra sings is everything that is not she and everything that was not Antony. So Adams tells us in the latest from his roster of remarkable operas. San Francisco Opera {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu is set to present John Adams’ “Anthony and Cleopatra” during the 2023-24 season. The new opera is a co-production with San Francisco Opera, Teatro Massimo Palermo, and Metropolitan Opera. “Anthony and Cleopatra” will make its world premiere during the San Francisco Opera’s 100th anniversary in a production by Elkhanah Pulitzer. The Gran Teatre del Liceu’s {…}
The Ojai Music Festival has announced its 75th season, which is set to take place between Sept. 16-19, 2021. “The Ojai Music Festival has always done things differently with its special mix of casual manner and provocative programming. Ever since its inception in the days of Stravinsky and Copland, it has stood out among music festivals for its celebration of {…}
The Ojai Music Festival has announced the 75th edition of its festival will take place in person, running from September 16 through 19, 2021. The festival program, curated by conductor and Music Director John Adams, will focus on a number of living composers, with their music being featured throughout. Composers include Samuel Carl Adams, Timo Andres, Rhiannon Giddens, Dylan Mattingly, {…}
(Credits: Opera Online / © Hermann und Clärchen Baus / Opera Online) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced that it will stream four operas on its website in February, March, and April 2021. Here is the full slate. First up is Ravel’s “Verzauberte Welt.” The showcase stars Schorsch Kamerun, Diana Haller, Maria Theresa Ullrich, Carina Schmieger, Claudia Muschio, Linsey Coppens, Jasper {…}
When it comes to American opera, few composers have had quite the impact that John Adams has. Throughout his career as an opera composer, Adams has examined how history and myth come together in the collective conscious to impact society. As such, many of his operas have proven controversial, though some quite long-lasting. For this week’s quiz, we take stock {…}