Search - Sanford Sylvan, John [Composer] Adams, Edo de Waart :: John Adams: Music from "Nixon In China"

Impressions of Nixon in China

Paul Gilliver | 06/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am moved to comment on the highlights album of John Adams's Nixon in China after seeing the English National Opera production in London last Wednesday 14 June. The music is compelling, exciting and appealing to an audience much wider than usual for opera. I bought the album at the opera shop next to the Coliseum. James Maddelena created the part of Nixon (and appeared in the London production). The recording is thirteen years old and wears its years well. All performances are superb. The Orchestra of St Luke's, less well known in the UK, perhaps, is a revelation. The recording reaches the highest standard. I encourage listeners to get a hold of this album. It is a great introduction to the music of John Adams, for me the most exciting modern composer since Benjamin Britten."

An excellent opportunity to hear a beautiful work

Merc390e@aol.com | New York, USA | 01/26/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I actually don't have the highlight C.D. but I own the opera that all the excerpts are from. The ones they chose represent some of the best parts of this simultaneously humorous and profound work. While clearly belonging to the Minimalist camp, this opera makes its debt subtle. Those used to the ostinato patterns of Glass won't find that same regularity here. The patterns, clearly minimalist in conception, change frequently so that every few seconds meters change, harmonies are altered and parts are added or diminished. It also doesn't possess the spiritual or "new-ageyness" that marks other minimalist efforts. This opera is firmly rooted in a more practical dramatic ethos. The libretto is by the far the best in some time. Alice Goodman's writing is able to be humorous, coarse, profound, flippant and descriptive throughout providing an equal balance throughout.The "News" aria sung by Nixon upon his arrival to Peking shows both the accessibility of the music and its unmistakeable originality. The word "News" sung repeatedly gives both a comic touch to the proceedings while effectively hightening the sense of Nixon's wonderment at this moment.The most profound section of this work is also included in the excerpts, "Ladies and Gentlemen" Chou en Lai's speech to open the proceedings. Sanford Sylvan sings the words beautifully and allows all the play of the text to resound with the listener. Adams' music is unfailing in its ability to characterize the emotional implications of the words cluminating in the final statement of "From vision to inheritence" that is breathtaking. Please email me if you have any questions regarding this wonderful work.Thanks."

Since the entire, multi-disc opera isn't offered here. . .

vulcantouch | fred & gladys' breakfast nook, downstairs by in th | 05/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

". . .i'll just say under This listing (for its Excerpt cd) that it's a churning, sweeping, sublime work :) the first adams i'd ever heard was the "chairman dances" album, the title piece of which was an energized, instrumental re-arrangement of this opera's climax. then i found this excerpt cd for $5 used somewhere. later i snagged the boxed set, which of course has not only all of the music on this disc, but plenty more of similarly impressive, chromatic stripe, including the strident "founders come first" passage, which, to a trekkie perspective, suggests the fanatical exhortings of a jemhadar soldier set to music ;) i subsequently gave the excerpt cd to a friend as an introduction to adams, which is probably its best use. but if you can find the whole opera and already dig adams, don't bother with excerpts; instead, go ahead, take the plunge & get the entire opera, it makes Great listening straight thru on a warm, gray afternoon, ~1-4pm. goes perfect with adams' "fearful symmetries" as a prelude and philip glass' "kronos string quartets" as a denouement! speaking of whom, pg ensemble saxaphonist jon gibson's solo cd "in good company" features a great instrumental rendition of nixon's "this is prophetic" aria you won't wanna miss :) vt"