As President Obama hosts Chinese President Hu at the White House, composer John Adams prepares for the Metropolitan Opera premiere of his groundbreaking 1987 opera Nixon in China, which explores President Nixon’s meeting with Mao Tse-tung nearly 40 years ago. New York classical music station WQXR is hosting a special preview tonight, featuring a conversation with Adams and director Peter Sellars, plus performances from the cast. Nonesuch will reissue the Grammy-winning original cast recording of Nixon in China on February 1.
As U.S. President Barack Obama hosts Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House for a series of meetings today and an official state dinner tonight, composer John Adams prepares for the Metropolitan Opera premiere of his groundbreaking 1987 opera Nixon in China, which explores President Richard Nixon’s fateful meeting with Chairman Mao Tse-tung nearly 40 years ago. The Met production, which runs from February 2 through 19, also marks Adams's own debut on the Met podium and the Met debut of director Peter Sellars.
Tonight, New York classical music station WQXR is hosting a special preview of Nixon in China at The Greene Space in downtown Manhattan, featuring a conversation with Adams and Sellars, moderated by WQXR's Terrance McKnight, and performances of some of the opera's many memorable musical moments by members of the Met cast, including James Maddalena as President Nixon, a role he originated and performs on the Nonesuch cast recording, Kathleen Kim as Mao’s wife Chiang Ch’ing, and Russell Braun as Chou En-lai. Tune into 105.9 FM WQXR to hear the event live at 7 PM EST or watch the live video webcast at WQXR.org.
While tonight's event is sold out, tickets are available for the Met's own public talk with Adams, Sellars, and Met General Manager Peter Gelb, on February 1. For tickets and information on this and the upcoming Nixon in China production, visit metopera.org.
Adams, in the latest post on his blog, Hell Mouth, takes readers behind the scenes and backstage at the Met, where he has been rehearsing with its "virtuoso" orchestra and preparing for Opening Night in the Opera House, which he describes as "nothing short of an acoustical miracle." You can read all about it at earbox.com.
Nonesuch Records will reissue the Grammy-winning original cast recording of Nixon in China in a newly redesigned and specially-priced three-CD set on February 1, featuring a 68-page booklet with the complete libretto and new notes by Adams and Sellars, along with the original liner notes by librettist Alice Goodman and by the late Michael Steinberg, which the Los Angeles Times described as "a revelation." To pre-order now, visit the Nonesuch Store.
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