I started studying this masterwork while in college, 18 years ago. I'm still studying it here and there, with a copy of the score and multiple recordings. My favorite recording is still the Houston Grand Opera original (1987 I think). The way Nixon in China portrays these real people is amazing - they are multi-faceted and not just cartoon characters, which one would think 3 American liberals would write about the Republican president. The way Adams weaves in the nervousness of Nixon, the commanding intellect of Mao, the unaware boorishness of Kissinger, the strength and conviction of Mao's Wife, all a top a unique and consistent musical landscape is nothing short of genius. Thanks for covering this masterpiece in such a thoughtful manner, and letting us hear clips from this great production I've never seen! Nixon's voice in this production is fantastic!
When talking about modern operas, I think most people have an idea of more radical and abstract music, not minimalist. I personally love this opera by Adams, although my favorite is Glass's Akhnaten. I am fascinated by the fact that the conductor and probably, depending on the direction, many performers must know how to count well (?!).🙂
Thank you for your comment! You are absolutely right: minimalist opera is probably not what most people associate with what they think modern opera sounds like. But I would postulate that most (successful) modern operas, from Britten, Reimann, Henze, Glass amongst others, don’t sound half as bad as most people imagine 🤷♂️ And, omg, the counting? In my opinion you have to have almost superhuman capabilities in order to do all that counting plus singing plus acting plus continuing despite mistakes your colleagues make plus not falling into the orchestra pit 😄
@@mimikrya8794 First: As a German I feel highly insulted by your insinuation that I have some kind of humor - that's not how we Germans operate 🫡. But more importantly: Yes, I will definitely keep the modern opera content coming 🙂 Thank you 🙏
Thie Vienna State Opera production in this video sounds a hundred times more exciting than the New York premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music ( back in the previous century) which I attended. It just occurred to me how this opening parallels the opening of Otello: a High Honcho arriving, and an exited chorus greeting him. Otello by boat, Nixon by airplane.
Thank you for your comment. Your observation about the similar beginning of Otello and Nixon in China is interesting. Good thing that at least Nixon in China didn't end with Pat Nixon's murder by her husband 😄 About the Vienna production: this was not done by the Vienna State Opera but by one of Vienna's "freelance" opera groups, the Wiener Operntheater. At that time, the late 1990s, Vienna had an amazing array of privately run opera companies who were dedicated to produce high quality productions of modern operas.
Thank you for clarifying which production of Nixon in China this is. Loved your recent video about Carlos Kleiber. Which brings me to the following question: would you like ( free of charge, of course) a card handwritten and signed by Mr. Kleiber in Sept. 1990? The card, written in the Hotel Carlyle stationary (NYC), came with a check to cover the cost of two tickets for a performance of La Traviata at The Met that Mr. Klieber had cancelled the night before. Me and my partner at the time were astonished by his graciousness.@@peterpawlik2495
I have loved Nixon in China for many years (I'm a political scientist, 28). One of the few artistic works about politics that appeals to me because of how mature it is. In that sense, Nixon is as great as Boris Godunov or Händel's Agrippina. Definitely a masterpiece. Btw, I had no idea that Vienna had staged it.
There are some wonderful modern operas. They are just shadowed by a lot of not so good works. Salvatore Giuliano by Lorenzo Ferrero is WONDERFUL. A bit older but still modern, The Ballad of Baby Doe is great.
I totally agree. Another great example: "Innocence" by Kaija Saariaho (music) and Sofi Oksanen (libretto) is another wonderful example. You can see it performed right now at the San Francisco Opera and via livestream as well.
I've been fortunate enough to see _Nixon in China_ twice. I could have seen it a third time-or rather a different first time in 2010-if my tire didn't blow out on the day of the performance on the drive up to Long Beach. It was a practically new tire, but the tread just peeled off. That made the first time I saw a live production 2011, when it was broadcast live to cinemas from the Metropolitan Opera stage. Then my local opera company, the San Diego Opera, did it in 2015. I did get to see the Long Beach Opera do a John Adams opera, _The Death of Klinghoffer_ , in 2014. And that was a lucky chance because the Metropolitan Opera chickened out over broadcasting their production in cinemas the same year. It was a craven capitulation to the forces of ignorant political censorship. I also very much like the opera _Kniefall in Warschau_ ( _Genuflection in Warsaw_ ) by Gerhard Rosenfeld, which could be said to be the German answer to John Adams' "CNN operas". It's about Willy Brandt and covers his accession to the Chancellorship, his famous visit to Poland, and the Guillaume-Affäre. However, I have only had the chance to listen to it and have never seen it performed. Honestly, though I prefer more experimental kinds of opera, there is also a very good core of mid-20th century German-language opera from composers like Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Gottfried von Einem, Hans Werner Henze, etc. that is written in a somewhat more accessible idiom and would make an interesting change of pace.
Thank you for your comment. I am happy to see that there are people out there who appreciate opera beyond what was written in the 19th century. Talking about your bad luck with the blown tire: The production shown in Long Beach was the same as the one in Vienna so now you can say that you have not just seen the San Diego one but also the one in Long Beach, at least in parts... I absolutely intend to show more progressive operas on my channel but I have to do that in a so to speak homeopathic doses so I won't lose all the subscribers I have just got recently 😄 All my best to you and thanks again!
I was lucky enough to see a revival of this opera using the sets and ideas of Peter Sellars who, I believe, encouraged John Adams after hearing Shaker Loops at Tanglewood. I have to say I had avoided opera in my music until I heard this opera I even bought my first CD player as it was not available on vinyl. This and a version of Peter Grimes (is it modern?) converted me to opera I saw The Death of Klinghoffer in Helsinki and it was funny to see so many blonde blue-eyed Arabs and Jews. Even funnier was the staging where the chorus in camouflage trousers stood up at the appropriate time and "hijacked" the opera house. I confused some of the chorus members because I was wearing thick camouflage pants because it was a foul night and they are very warm. They were looking at me like who is this new member of the chorus LOL. Appreciating music is a lot to do with the time, the place and the performance. I compare it to how Shakespeare, Goethe or Schiller are performed I have seen some great performances of these plays and some absolute clunkers too.
Thank you for your interesting comment. Are John Adams and/or Benjamin Britten modern composers? I don't know - here in Vienna people think of Richard Strauss as modern 🤷♂️ 😄 All i can say is that i love Peter Grimes. I assisted at an interesting new production at the Vienna State Opera in 1996, with Neil Shicoff and Nancy Gustafson in the leading roles. Wonderful opera, as most Britten operas are... I liked your story how you almost became a member of the Helsinki Opera Chorus - you should have played along and just started to sing. Who knows: Maybe you would have made a fantastic opera career after this...😄
It is quite… interesting. I think I need to fmiliarize myself more with this kind of music before I make a statement on it. Right now I can only see where the bad rep comes frm, but I also see why someone would absolutely love it. There‘s some really powerful stuff in there.
"It is quite...interesting"? Could have been worse, I take it 😄👍 I get it. That was the whole point of this video: that it is not easy to appreciate modern opera on first glance. As long as people keep an open mind and stay curious... Thank you for your comment and a nice weekend 🙂
I have known about this opera since I was a kid and it was shown on PBS. It's nice to refamiliarize mself with this piece. Who knew I would find it so exciting. Definitely making me feel all the feels, as the kids say. LOL.
Although I don't live in the US I am familiar with PBS and am a great fan of it. I am curious: did you like the opera when you saw it as a kid? I have no idea about kids' or teenager's slang nowadays so I take a wild guess and say: Thanks for your cool/groovy/hip/sick (🙄?)/lit comment 🙂
@peterpawlik2495 I'm 53, definitely not a Millennial. LOL. My memory is that our local PBS station here in Dallas, Texas broadcast opera and classical music on a regular basis thanks to PBS' Great Performances and Live From Lincoln Center.
First exposure to this work, though my wife really likes it. The music of the delegation awaiting the landing of Airforce One is very reminiscent of Bernard Hermann's.
Always listen to your wife 🙂 The reference to Hermann is interesting. And I agree that some of the orchestral bits have some movie soundtrack qualities to it. Thank you for watching the video and for your comment!
I love this opera, I would love to see it live on stage. It has played in London a few times by the English National Opera but I’ve missed it! However I’ve seen the Met production several times on a streaming platform. And heard a wonderful rendition of Madame Mao’s aria by a contestant at Cardiff Singer of the World. Mesmerising! And such a great subject for an opera. Spectacle and introspection displayed. I am a fan of minimal music, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman etc. I’d love for you to go through Akhenaten for example. And also continue with insights to the more traditional operas. I just love opera in many forms!!
An excellent video, dear Sir! I cannot say you (or John Adams) bought me with Nixon in China (I had a 'phase' about minimal music some 20-30 years ago, so I listened to a lot of such music, that's why John Adams sounded to me almost exactly like Philip Glass. Not entirely, obviously, but some. I heard about this opera, btw, but I never listened to it.), but it was interesting, and I certainly look forward to watching another educational video of yours on something 'unusual'.
Thank you for your comment and your kind words. Let me just say that it never was my goal to persuade people to like opera or minimal music or anything else. I simply enjoy sharing the things I love. And if some folks like the content, well, that makes me happy, of course. But I totally get it that many won't like it. And that's fine too. Again, thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it!
Nixon in China has always been my favorite opera! I actually have a lot of problems with the opera's literary aspects (the libretto has been published by itself as a book because of how good it is!) but it has become one of my biggest artistic inspirations. I basically took the parts that I liked and made my own thing, taking out the aspects that I disagreed with. Also, how did you watch this production of Nixon in China? I have watched all of the available productions online but I haven't seen this one. I found the first scene in this CZcams video (czcams.com/video/DODoRe3JOeE/video.html) but I haven't found the whole opera. I especially want to watch this production because my favorite teacher in high school watched this production (the Long Beach production at least) live and really liked it.
Thank you for your comment! I got curious about "your own thing" - Which parts of the libretto didn't you agree with? Has your version been performed somewhere? Can I see it on video? Would love that!!! About the Long Beach version: That production has been a revival of the original Vienna production which has been broadcasted on the Austrian television network ORF. Since I was the stage director in Vienna (and in Long Beach and Venice) I got a DVD with the whole opera. Again thank you for writing. And especially for sharing the story about your favorite high school teacher - so important to acknowledge the wonderful work teachers do every day!
@@peterpawlik2495 Well I think it's specifically how some of the Chinese characters (especially Madame Mao) were characterized and also how the ballet scene was handled. This period in Chinese history is one of my favorites to study so I'm picky about it. And I'm still writing my play! I'll keep you in mind if it does get performed in the future. I really like your direction! I'm not sure why but when I watch this staging I get reminded of a Chinese restaurant in the 1990s (even though I wasn't even alive then). My teacher really liked this production! He went because his mother-in-law played the cello in the orchestra.
I like Adams, but in my opinion the work is too long, too repetitive and, above all, “Nixon in China” has one of the most terrible librettos of all operas. I see the plea for the work as ambivalent.
That's so interesting - i love the libretto 😳 I find it very funny and sophisticated. And i liked that it gave us the opportunity to have a (fictional...) look behind the scenes of world changing politics...🤷♂️
I started studying this masterwork while in college, 18 years ago. I'm still studying it here and there, with a copy of the score and multiple recordings. My favorite recording is still the Houston Grand Opera original (1987 I think). The way Nixon in China portrays these real people is amazing - they are multi-faceted and not just cartoon characters, which one would think 3 American liberals would write about the Republican president. The way Adams weaves in the nervousness of Nixon, the commanding intellect of Mao, the unaware boorishness of Kissinger, the strength and conviction of Mao's Wife, all a top a unique and consistent musical landscape is nothing short of genius.
Thanks for covering this masterpiece in such a thoughtful manner, and letting us hear clips from this great production I've never seen! Nixon's voice in this production is fantastic!
When talking about modern operas, I think most people have an idea of more radical and abstract music, not minimalist. I personally love this opera by Adams, although my favorite is Glass's Akhnaten. I am fascinated by the fact that the conductor and probably, depending on the direction, many performers must know how to count well (?!).🙂
Thank you for your comment! You are absolutely right: minimalist opera is probably not what most people associate with what they think modern opera sounds like. But I would postulate that most (successful) modern operas, from Britten, Reimann, Henze, Glass amongst others, don’t sound half as bad as most people imagine 🤷♂️ And, omg, the counting? In my opinion you have to have almost superhuman capabilities in order to do all that counting plus singing plus acting plus continuing despite mistakes your colleagues make plus not falling into the orchestra pit 😄
@@peterpawlik2495I forgot to mention that you should definitely continue with the modern opera (and also with your humor).
@@mimikrya8794 First: As a German I feel highly insulted by your insinuation that I have some kind of humor - that's not how we Germans operate 🫡. But more importantly: Yes, I will definitely keep the modern opera content coming 🙂 Thank you 🙏
Thie Vienna State Opera production in this video sounds a hundred times more exciting than the New York premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music ( back in the previous century) which I attended. It just occurred to me how this opening parallels the opening of Otello: a High Honcho arriving, and an exited chorus greeting him. Otello by boat, Nixon by airplane.
Thank you for your comment. Your observation about the similar beginning of Otello and Nixon in China is interesting. Good thing that at least Nixon in China didn't end with Pat Nixon's murder by her husband 😄 About the Vienna production: this was not done by the Vienna State Opera but by one of Vienna's "freelance" opera groups, the Wiener Operntheater. At that time, the late 1990s, Vienna had an amazing array of privately run opera companies who were dedicated to produce high quality productions of modern operas.
Thank you for clarifying which production of Nixon in China this is. Loved your recent video about Carlos Kleiber. Which brings me to the following question: would you like ( free of charge, of course) a card handwritten and signed by Mr. Kleiber in Sept. 1990? The card, written in the Hotel Carlyle stationary (NYC), came with a check to cover the cost of two tickets for a performance of La Traviata at The Met that Mr. Klieber had cancelled the night before. Me and my partner at the time were astonished by his graciousness.@@peterpawlik2495
I have loved Nixon in China for many years (I'm a political scientist, 28). One of the few artistic works about politics that appeals to me because of how mature it is. In that sense, Nixon is as great as Boris Godunov or Händel's Agrippina. Definitely a masterpiece. Btw, I had no idea that Vienna had staged it.
Well, if you, with your 28 years of age, are the future of opera audiences then I feel relieved: opera will continue to exist 😄👍
@@peterpawlik2495
That is very kind. Thank you. But I'm afraid there aren't really many opera fans my age or younger. Other than musicians, I mean.
There are some wonderful modern operas. They are just shadowed by a lot of not so good works. Salvatore Giuliano by Lorenzo Ferrero is WONDERFUL. A bit older but still modern, The Ballad of Baby Doe is great.
I totally agree. Another great example: "Innocence" by Kaija Saariaho (music) and Sofi Oksanen (libretto) is another wonderful example. You can see it performed right now at the San Francisco Opera and via livestream as well.
I've been fortunate enough to see _Nixon in China_ twice. I could have seen it a third time-or rather a different first time in 2010-if my tire didn't blow out on the day of the performance on the drive up to Long Beach. It was a practically new tire, but the tread just peeled off. That made the first time I saw a live production 2011, when it was broadcast live to cinemas from the Metropolitan Opera stage. Then my local opera company, the San Diego Opera, did it in 2015.
I did get to see the Long Beach Opera do a John Adams opera, _The Death of Klinghoffer_ , in 2014. And that was a lucky chance because the Metropolitan Opera chickened out over broadcasting their production in cinemas the same year. It was a craven capitulation to the forces of ignorant political censorship.
I also very much like the opera _Kniefall in Warschau_ ( _Genuflection in Warsaw_ ) by Gerhard Rosenfeld, which could be said to be the German answer to John Adams' "CNN operas". It's about Willy Brandt and covers his accession to the Chancellorship, his famous visit to Poland, and the Guillaume-Affäre. However, I have only had the chance to listen to it and have never seen it performed.
Honestly, though I prefer more experimental kinds of opera, there is also a very good core of mid-20th century German-language opera from composers like Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Gottfried von Einem, Hans Werner Henze, etc. that is written in a somewhat more accessible idiom and would make an interesting change of pace.
Thank you for your comment. I am happy to see that there are people out there who appreciate opera beyond what was written in the 19th century.
Talking about your bad luck with the blown tire: The production shown in Long Beach was the same as the one in Vienna so now you can say that you have not just seen the San Diego one but also the one in Long Beach, at least in parts...
I absolutely intend to show more progressive operas on my channel but I have to do that in a so to speak homeopathic doses so I won't lose all the subscribers I have just got recently 😄
All my best to you and thanks again!
I was lucky enough to see a revival of this opera
using the sets and ideas of Peter Sellars
who, I believe, encouraged John Adams after hearing
Shaker Loops at Tanglewood.
I have to say I had avoided opera in my music until I heard this opera
I even bought my first CD player as it was not available
on vinyl.
This and a version of Peter Grimes (is it modern?) converted me to opera
I saw The Death of Klinghoffer in Helsinki and
it was funny to see so many blonde blue-eyed Arabs and Jews.
Even funnier was the staging where the chorus
in camouflage trousers stood up at the appropriate time
and "hijacked" the opera house.
I confused some of the chorus members
because I was wearing thick camouflage pants
because it was a foul night and they are very warm.
They were looking at me like who is this new member of the chorus LOL.
Appreciating music is a lot to do with the time, the place and the performance.
I compare it to how Shakespeare, Goethe or Schiller are performed
I have seen some great performances of these plays
and some absolute clunkers too.
Thank you for your interesting comment.
Are John Adams and/or Benjamin Britten modern composers? I don't know - here in Vienna people think of Richard Strauss as modern 🤷♂️ 😄 All i can say is that i love Peter Grimes. I assisted at an interesting new production at the Vienna State Opera in 1996, with Neil Shicoff and Nancy Gustafson in the leading roles. Wonderful opera, as most Britten operas are...
I liked your story how you almost became a member of the Helsinki Opera Chorus - you should have played along and just started to sing. Who knows: Maybe you would have made a fantastic opera career after this...😄
It is quite… interesting. I think I need to fmiliarize myself more with this kind of music before I make a statement on it. Right now I can only see where the bad rep comes frm, but I also see why someone would absolutely love it. There‘s some really powerful stuff in there.
"It is quite...interesting"? Could have been worse, I take it 😄👍 I get it. That was the whole point of this video: that it is not easy to appreciate modern opera on first glance. As long as people keep an open mind and stay curious... Thank you for your comment and a nice weekend 🙂
One of my more recent favorite operas: "Anna Nicole" by Turnage. Just a suggestion. 🙂
Thank you for the suggestion. I don't know this opera but will check it out 🙏
There is a 13 minute clip from the Riyal Opera - it looks very interesting 👍
I have known about this opera since I was a kid and it was shown on PBS. It's nice to refamiliarize mself with this piece. Who knew I would find it so exciting. Definitely making me feel all the feels, as the kids say. LOL.
Although I don't live in the US I am familiar with PBS and am a great fan of it. I am curious: did you like the opera when you saw it as a kid? I have no idea about kids' or teenager's slang nowadays so I take a wild guess and say: Thanks for your cool/groovy/hip/sick (🙄?)/lit comment 🙂
@peterpawlik2495
I'm 53, definitely not a Millennial. LOL. My memory is that our local PBS station here in Dallas, Texas broadcast opera and classical music on a regular basis thanks to PBS' Great Performances and Live From Lincoln Center.
First exposure to this work, though my wife really likes it. The music of the delegation awaiting the landing of Airforce One is very reminiscent of Bernard Hermann's.
Always listen to your wife 🙂 The reference to Hermann is interesting. And I agree that some of the orchestral bits have some movie soundtrack qualities to it. Thank you for watching the video and for your comment!
I love this opera, I would love to see it live on stage. It has played in London a few times by the English National Opera but I’ve missed it!
However I’ve seen the Met production several times on a streaming platform. And heard a wonderful rendition of Madame Mao’s aria by a contestant at Cardiff Singer of the World.
Mesmerising! And such a great subject for an opera. Spectacle and introspection displayed.
I am a fan of minimal music, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman etc. I’d love for you to go through Akhenaten for example.
And also continue with insights to the more traditional operas.
I just love opera in many forms!!
I will do my best 😬🙂
Jantastic, dude!
Glad you liked it 🙂🙏
An excellent video, dear Sir! I cannot say you (or John Adams) bought me with Nixon in China (I had a 'phase' about minimal music some 20-30 years ago, so I listened to a lot of such music, that's why John Adams sounded to me almost exactly like Philip Glass. Not entirely, obviously, but some. I heard about this opera, btw, but I never listened to it.), but it was interesting, and I certainly look forward to watching another educational video of yours on something 'unusual'.
Thank you for your comment and your kind words. Let me just say that it never was my goal to persuade people to like opera or minimal music or anything else. I simply enjoy sharing the things I love. And if some folks like the content, well, that makes me happy, of course. But I totally get it that many won't like it. And that's fine too. Again, thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it!
Nixon in China has always been my favorite opera! I actually have a lot of problems with the opera's literary aspects (the libretto has been published by itself as a book because of how good it is!) but it has become one of my biggest artistic inspirations. I basically took the parts that I liked and made my own thing, taking out the aspects that I disagreed with.
Also, how did you watch this production of Nixon in China? I have watched all of the available productions online but I haven't seen this one. I found the first scene in this CZcams video (czcams.com/video/DODoRe3JOeE/video.html) but I haven't found the whole opera. I especially want to watch this production because my favorite teacher in high school watched this production (the Long Beach production at least) live and really liked it.
Thank you for your comment! I got curious about "your own thing" - Which parts of the libretto didn't you agree with? Has your version been performed somewhere? Can I see it on video? Would love that!!!
About the Long Beach version: That production has been a revival of the original Vienna production which has been broadcasted on the Austrian television network ORF. Since I was the stage director in Vienna (and in Long Beach and Venice) I got a DVD with the whole opera.
Again thank you for writing. And especially for sharing the story about your favorite high school teacher - so important to acknowledge the wonderful work teachers do every day!
@@peterpawlik2495 Well I think it's specifically how some of the Chinese characters (especially Madame Mao) were characterized and also how the ballet scene was handled. This period in Chinese history is one of my favorites to study so I'm picky about it. And I'm still writing my play! I'll keep you in mind if it does get performed in the future.
I really like your direction! I'm not sure why but when I watch this staging I get reminded of a Chinese restaurant in the 1990s (even though I wasn't even alive then). My teacher really liked this production! He went because his mother-in-law played the cello in the orchestra.
As the saying goes - "This is a matter of GESCHMACKSACHE". I just watched your post AVE MARIA "Othello". My preference.
Geschmacksache rules always 😄👍
*PromoSM*
I like Adams, but in my opinion the work is too long, too repetitive and, above all, “Nixon in China” has one of the most terrible librettos of all operas. I see the plea for the work as ambivalent.
That's so interesting - i love the libretto 😳 I find it very funny and sophisticated. And i liked that it gave us the opportunity to have a (fictional...) look behind the scenes of world changing politics...🤷♂️