Last night the BBC Symphony premiered John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony, and my spies tell me you can still listen to the stream for another week. Go here and look for Prom 50. More info on the concert is available here. (You’ll also hear Copland’s Billy the Kid - Suite and Adams’ Century Rolls.)
Now, it’s no secret that I didn’t care for the opera as an opera, but I did think the music would be worthy of a concert version. So, let’s find out!
So much has been written about Doctor Atomic now that I hope I can avoid being redundant. I am not a critic, or even much of a writer for that matter, so this may not be the most well organized set of thoughts, and I hope I can get my point across without seeming shrill or pontifical. Lisa Hirsch has a running list of reviews and blogs that cover the premiere, many of which are much more thorough than I intend to be, and so if you haven’t read anything about the piece yet, it might be a good idea to start there.
The long and the short of it is that Doctor Atomic is a thoroughly engaging and memorable evening, and I’m really glad I went, despite its major flaw. In fact, whereas normally I might have the urge to look at my watch at some point during a three-hour opera, in this case I didn’t do so until I was outside and couldn’t believe that it was after 11:00. I mention this in order to soften my overall tone, because as much as I did enjoy the piece, I was disappointed that this work did not live up to its potential. (more…)
Well, this San Francisco music blogger doesn’t get to see the John Adams opera Doctor Atomic until a week from tomorrow. I am a big John Adams fan going back to the 80’s, and pretty opinionated about musical theater, so I’m sure I’ll have a thing or two to say about it after that.
I’m taking the kind advice from M.C. of The Standing Room fame to avoid reading too much about it before I see it, but I did read Anthony Tommasini’s review in today’s New York Times, which was tantalizing. So far, it sounds like it’s a landmark work.
If you’re nowhere near San Francisco, or do not have the will power to avoid reviews, Lisa Hirsch offers a handy list of reviews from journalists around the country.
In the Wings also has some lovely comments, give a good idea of what the piece “smells” like, without giving too much away.
There are probably dozens or hundres more out there. Here’s a handy shortcut.
(This is my first attempt at “Trackback”. Am I doing it right?)
