John Adams: Nixon in China

I was really looking forward to seeing this production and this opera. I was very taken with Doctor Atomic(also by John Adams) and loved the Met production of it. Nixon in China is just as riveting in story and music, and the production is one of the better ones for me of its respective season. The production values are great, with smart and important-looking costumes and sets. I also loved the cinematic style in which the production was shot, the High Definition has always been impressive and continues to not disappoint, but the camera work was the real revelation, with effective close-ups of frozen facial expressions at the start and the movement of the camera seemed so seamless and elegant.

The music is outstanding, comparing Nixon in China to Doctor Atomic, I'd actually say they're about equal in that I cannot decide which I prefer. The unmistakable minimalist style is there, but there are several complex rhythms, interesting modal shifts and rich cross-current musical styles. As for the lyrics, they are both poetic and thoughtful especially the reflective note on which Nixon in China ends. The score was performed with great beauty and intensity by the orchestra and had the extra luxury of John Adams himself conducting.

Story-wise, Nixon in China drew me right in, right from the silent, atmospheric beginning to the tense subtleties of the last act and the reflective ending. Sellars' work is highly commendable, both keeping the drama on stage engaging and treating the score and story with respect. You couldn't have asked for better performances. James Maddalena is a commanding Richard Nixon, and Janis Kelly's Pat sung beautifully. Richard Paul Fink's Henry is sung with great sonority, Russell Braun is powerful dramatically and vocally and Kathaleen Kim shines in her challenging colouratura role. The interviews were well carried out and interesting, but with one gripe, they're too short.

Overall, riveting both as an opera and as a production. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It was fun to see this opera come to life after being familiar with it on CD. Certainly it makes the experience more emotional on both ends; the humor and wit are much clearer, as are the darker and sadder elements of change and loss.

Peter Sellars, who directed the stage production also guided the filming during a live performance. Sellars relies a great deal on close-ups, only going to wide shots occasionally. I found this surprising, and occasionally annoying, since his own careful theatrical visual compositions get cheated in the process. Also, extreme close-ups are not the most forgiving way of seeing stage wigs and make-up. On the other hand, it was nice to really be able to see the emotions on the singers' faces, and to realize what good actors most of them are. Even though they're playing in a large theater, most are subtle enough that these tight shots don't reveal tremendous over-acting, and give the opera a wonderfully intimate feel. Since a lot of the emotional drama of this opera is really internal, especially for both Richard and Pat Nixon, this close-up approach emphasizes the human as opposed to the spectacular, to strong effect.

On second viewing, the constant close ups seemed even more problematic. It struck me that much of what's going on in the opera is about the counterpoint in simultaneous 'conversations' and interactions. You might have Pat and Richard Nixon on one side of the stage, and Chairman Mao and his wife on the other. Or multiple groups at once in the 'big' scenes, all singing right over each other, 3 and 4 stories occurring simultaneously. But by relying so much on close ups and tight 2 shots, we lose some of the juxtapositions built into the music and staging. It works well in the truly intimate one-on-one scenes, but when there are many people on stage the close ups start to feel like they're interrupting the appreciation of the big picture.

The interviews conducted between acts are also less than thrilling. They tend to be very rushed, not giving time for any thoughtful or complex answers, and the interviewer has an irritating habit of chiming in and cutting off even those brief answers. I found myself skipping the interviews altogether after about the half-way point.

This is an opera that I have been wanting to hear for a long time. It premiered in 1987 but has only recently been recognised as a masterpiece and this 2011 production is its first by the New York Met. It is as collaboration between composer John Adams, director Peter Sellars and librettist Alice Goodman. These three prominent liberals tell a fascinating story of how arch-conservative Richard Nixon initiates a process of détente with communist China. This is the first of a new breed of late 20th century verismo, or operas that are similar to docu-dramas. The three collaborators on Nixon went on to produce The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic. Watching this opera also reminds me of works such as Jerry Springer the Opera and Anna Nicole. Obviously, I have got that the wrong way round. Jerry Springer and Anna Nicole should remind me of Nixon in China.

The opera starts in an almost pedestrian way, with Nixon exchanging pleasantries with Premier Chou En-lai after the Spirit of 76 touches down in China. James Maddalena's Nixon sings the opera's most famous aria. "News has a kind of mystery". This is a repetitive, almost stuttering, piece somewhat reminiscent of Handel in the way the same phrases are repeated over and over again. Maddelana, who originated the role in 1987, is probably past his best as a singer but his slightly croaky delivery seems strangely appropriate for the role.

Nixon and Henry Kissinger, sung by bass Richard Paul Fink, then meet Chou and Chairman Mao. Nixon wants to dive into the problems of Vietnam, Taiwan and Korea but Mao is only interested in talking political philosophy. I loved the way that tenor Robert Brubaker, as Mao is accompanied by three secretaries who repeat everything he says in counterpoint. There is then a banquet where Russell Braun's Chou sings a lyrical aria welcoming the visitors.

Janis Kelly as a remarkable lookalike for Patricia Nixon then has a chance to shine in a hilarious scene as she is given the spouse's conducted tour of a hospital, pig farm and school. Things get more surreal when the Nixon's attend a performance of the Chinese opera. The Nixon's get carried away with the action and rush on stage to rescue a peasant girl who is being oppressed by an evil capitalist looking remarkably like Henry Kissinger. Mao's wife, Chian Ch'ing, sung by Kathleen Kim becomes angry that the opera is being misinterpreted and sings an incredible coloratura aria "I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung. I speak according to the book." She waves Mao's little red book as she sings. This is my favourite moment of the opera. Days afterwards, I found myself humming "I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung", as I went about my daily chores.

The final act is even more surreal. It is the last day of the visit and the six main characters all go to bed, apparently in the same room. Nixon recalls the war in the Pacific, Mao remembers the long march. The mortally ill Chou wanders what is to come. Beds are a recurring theme throughout this opera. At various points we see Nixon or his wife lying exhausted on beds making clear the physical strain of visiting a country 11 time zones away.

I was waiting for The Chairman Dances, one of John Adams's most famous pieces not realising that it never made it into the opera. It is an outtake from an earlier version. I suspect that, like me, many people in the audience at the Met were puzzled by its absence.