John Adams wrote his latest opera, A Flowering Tree (2006), he has said, for "a time of global awareness." Now, with the opera approaching its fifth anniversary, that statement is no less true, as the Cincinnati Opera presents A Flowering Tree in performances tonight, June 30, with Adams in attendance, and Saturday, July 2. The composer drew inspiration from Mozart's Magic Flute and ancient Indian folk-tales; the libretto, co-written by Adams and director Peter Sellars, is in English and Spanish. The New Yorker calls the work "opulent, dreamlike, fiercely lyrical"; the Los Angeles Times calls the 2008 Nonesuch first recording of the piece "terrific."

The Cincinnati Opera production, which reunites the world-premiere cast featured on the Nonesuch album—soprano Jessica Rivera in the role of Kumudha, tenor Russell Thomas as the Prince, and bass-baritone Eric Owens as the narrator—is directed by Brian Robertson and conducted by Joana Carneiro.

Watch a preview of A Flowering Tree, featuring an excerpt of "Kumudha's Prayer" from the Nonesuch album, here:

A Flowering Tree "is a turning point in his career," Cincinnati Opera's Artistic Director Evans Mirageas tells Gelfand of the composer in a separate Cincinnati Enquirer article. "Adams is writing opera now that is the closest we can come to a modern-day Puccini." Read more at news.cincinnati.com.

For more information on this week's performances, visit cincinnatiopera.org. To pick up a copy of the original cast recording of A Flowering Tree, head to the Nonesuch Store, where orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s of the album at checkout, in time for tonight's performance.