Monday I will be seeing Doctor Atomic at Lyric Opera. I am not the biggest fan of modern operas and initially, this seems like an odd combination - when opera meets... nuclear physics? It's hard to imagine a scientist (any scientist, actually, but Dr. Oppenheimer in particular) bursting into song about cold fusion (or whatever. I never took physics). What would it be? "Howwwwww doooo yoooouuu split an atooommmmmm???" And then, of course, a chorus singing "Boom, boom, boom - KABOOM!" (GOOONNNNGGGG!)
But the more I think about it, the more it seems like the creation of the atomic bomb is perfectly operatic, chock full of drama, internal struggles and ethical dilemmas. Plus, it sounds like there will be a GREAT opportunity for a gong solo somewhere. (I've always wanted to be a gongist.)
Lyric describes the piece thusly:
The Bomb. It changed our lives and our world forever. Hard to fathom a bigger — or more personal — subject.
Director Peter Sellars takes us to Los Alamos, New Mexico. It's 1945. Scientists are working on a top-secret project for the U.S. government: development of the A–Bomb. We're there for the frenzied three weeks before the blast, and we're there for the final countdown. We watch real people grapple with monumental moral and ethical dilemmas. Could "the gadget" ignite the world's atmosphere?
At the helm, the mercurial Robert Oppenheimer; plus a take-no-prisoners general and scientists — some hawks, some doves — racing for a "successful" conclusion — and unleashing the unfathomable.
I will keep you all posted...
2 comments:
modern opera sung in English is the best there is
Ummmm. I think not. I by far prefer Italian operas. Modern operas sung in English can be okay, but most of them are not my favorites. I liked Susannah... but I think that was the exception rather than the rule...
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