One of my favourite opera productions of all time from any opera company. This production was in partnership with London's ENO. That is where I saw it - I wish it would return.

@DavidAndTheDog

5 ай бұрын

I saw it too, so many years ago now when it premiered. Would love to see it again - along with the first ENO production of Akhenaten, which I think they binned.

John Adams' score during Air Force One landing is one of the landmarks of 20th Century Opera. Pat Nixon is low key one of my favorite Opera characters, and who would've figured considering actual politics.

That moment when Nixon descends the stairs and shakes hands with the Chinese premier = possibly my favorite… What a stroke of genius to translate that history-making snapshot in time theatrically by *literally* freezing time. It’s transcendent-and, I find, strangely moving…

@matthewsutton3682

2 жыл бұрын

I've always found Nixon in China to be strangely moving at many points...so many compelling scenes and characters. Pat Nixon touring the pig farm and being shown the clinic for me are very emotionally charged.

When you take Central Planning as an Eco civic

@5434345

4 жыл бұрын

When pushing for Space Colony victory.

@buttscarlton9000

Жыл бұрын

When the Byzantines vassals the entire world and coalition wars you to death

On rehearing, I feel that this opera has worn very well since the premier in 1987. This is a splendid scene. I find it interesting after all these years to hear how much Adams learned from Richard Wagner's orchestration about keeping a scene going musically.

I know people aren't usually fans of multicam in opera recordings, but I think it's worth it for the cut over to Pat when Nixon looks over and sings "'Breugel', Pat said..." She looks so proud of herself!! hahaha 8:58

6:48 When James Maddalena, as Nixon, begins singing "News has a kind of mystery" the opera kicks into gear - for me, anyway. There have already been other singers in this role, but Maddalena owns it the way the late Jon Vickers owned "Peter Grimes."

@Gwailo54

Жыл бұрын

Stuart Skelton is streets ahead of Vickers. His Grimes at ENO should have been recorded and released on DVD.

Beautiful, i normally don't pay attention to opera, but this leaves me speechless.

@e-cuauhtemoc

8 ай бұрын

I first heard this well playing Sid Meier's Civilization video game. As soon as I hit the Modern Era this song played. I was hooked from there. Never cared for opera until I heard this.

It's really great. It's terrific to see it come into the repertoire and gain consensus

@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock

2 жыл бұрын

you can thank Civilization IV for that

Definitely up there as one of the best ten minutes in opera/theatre history.

@chocolatesouljah

4 жыл бұрын

Well stated. So simple. So powerful. It's one of my all-time favorite operatic sequences.

@jamesgrandjean6138

4 жыл бұрын

Yes I totally agree! It’s exhilarating, simple, and profound.

@frechen5405

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed! It’s exhilarating perfection.

Impresive; freezing time in history fragment🥂🤝👏

This was the first opera I ever saw, and the only one I've ever liked. This opening is like nothing else. This is what Modernist art should be.

@frechen5405

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

@hookyhook6006

2 жыл бұрын

Whereas Philip Glass operas make no sense at all. John Adams makes too much sense. They are perfect foils of musical writing styles and I love them both!! If you want a trippy experience, I'd heavily recommend you to check out Glass' Einstein on the Beach if you haven't already.

@freshname

Жыл бұрын

You just haven't been really lucky. Akhnaten, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk district, Einstein on the beach, Oedipus Rex, Licht, Satyagraha... There're many more that you may like, if you liked this one.

At around 3:03 the "Landing of the Spirit of '76" orchestral passage starts. I remember in the CD liner notes it said something like "proof John Adams can work in a Wagnerian vein." I agree and it also has this other world severity and orchestration. And the use of woodblock is so compelling. Adams is conducting and in my opinion his music sounds amazing!

@richardrijnvos722

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed, the landing scene is most impressive! 👍 Be that as it may, don't you agree the passage at 3:16 sounds suspiciously similar to the overture of Hitchcock's "North by Northwest"? 😏 Surely, honourable credits to Bernard Herrmann. 😎

@chocolatesouljah

3 жыл бұрын

@@richardrijnvos722 I hadn't listened to it before. At first I thought not but on the 2nd listen I could hear the similarities near the end.

@Gorboduc

2 жыл бұрын

Bernard Hermann invented minimalism, let's not deny it.

@chocolatesouljah

2 жыл бұрын

@@Gorboduc I’m curious, has that take on Mr. Her been expressed academically and substantiated or is it something you are personally asserting? I don’t dispute but an curious about the resource.

@Gorboduc

2 жыл бұрын

@@chocolatesouljah Personal assertion, but I've heard it said by others. I think Howard Goodall in his BH documentary says something similar? As for academics... I haven't the foggiest notion!

I've always found interesting the symbolism of how the 0:30 the peasants and workers go to the back and turn their backs, leaving the soldiers and Communist cadres to sing alone. Then at 1:30 they're escorted back to the front by the soldiers.

@LAprodz

3 жыл бұрын

PURE GENIUS ! - its like saying WE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE in the end ! above Gov. WE ARE HUMANS and WE CAN DO ANYTHING ! WE ARE OUR OWN HEROES NOW ! the common man can take us into the future ! Take us into our destiny!

@frechen5405

3 жыл бұрын

Great observation!

@nope24601

2 жыл бұрын

@@LAprodz At gunpoint, if necessary.

@chimpazoo1143

10 ай бұрын

Weird thing coming from an antisemitic fascist...

Civilization 4.

@logoncal3001

4 жыл бұрын

My favourite song of the Modern Era

@Women_Rock

4 жыл бұрын

Lol; yes

@flyforce16

4 жыл бұрын

@@logoncal3001 It's so epic. Feels tense and nervous and like the world's on the verge of something game-changing or apocalyptic.

@lightofchicagoproductionz9012

4 жыл бұрын

@@flyforce16 We are ! Something big is coming .... we have to build the real Iss and launch to alpha centauri

You have discovered Nationalism!

6:49 News

2:14 Such a cute guy!

@Palpatine4Senate

2 жыл бұрын

Is that you?

@cheeseandonions9558

9 ай бұрын

you women

YAS YAS GALEYYYY

I see non-party members retreating to the back of the stage, looking away from the unified message. They are ushered back to the party by a soldier with his weapon drawn. Will we learn these lessons?

Could you please upload the whole staging with subtitles? Thanks!

@frechen5405

3 жыл бұрын

I’m not sure I could get away with the full staging, unfortunately… And I’ve had to add/time the closed-captioning subtitles manually-so it’s painfully slow… I’ll try to upload more though!

Hallucinatory

Civilization iv

丫挺的尼克松！

ok i'm sorry i don't listen to opera i just like the music, so when i heard that beautiful dramatic buildup suddenly get interjected by nixon sing talking i burst laughing 🤣🤣🤣

Heard this on the University Challenge and I had to look up. The smartest failed on this opera.

this makes me break down into tears , we HUMANS WILL COLONIZE OTHER WORLDS ! WE WILL BECOME GODS ! Millions of years of our history and killing each other , for us to be born and save our world and take us into the FUTURE, stupidity has no place in our FUTURE

@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock

2 жыл бұрын

I wish I could share your faith

@LAprodz

2 жыл бұрын

@@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock One day you will if not in this life ,Then i promise you in the NEXT ! But EARTH WILL PREVAIL ,WE WILL CONTINUE

This is wagnerian !