Adams: Doctor Atomic Symphony Whets Appetite for Opera
(February 2008)
Jointly commissioned by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall and BBC Radio 3 for the BBC Proms, John Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony received its world premiere with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself, on August 21, 2007 at Royal Albert Hall. Originally a 45-minute work in four movements, the symphony was revised to 25 minutes of uninterrupted music before its U.S. premiere with David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony on February 7, 2008.
“He has been widely regarded as America's signature contemporary composer for a decade or more. That he keeps surpassing himself feels like a gift…
As 25 minutes of gripping instrumental theater, the "Dr. Atomic" Symphony gives the opera a tremendous amount to live up to. The opening doesn't so much set a scene as pin listeners to their chairs with a high-impact wave of sound... What follows constitutes Adams' most texturally arresting orchestral work yet.”
The Star Ledger
“Adams has not only produced another satisfying, individualistic work, but whetted my appetite for the entire opera.”
Classicalsource.com
“Doctor Atomic performance at Carnegie is stunning… The final major section, "Batter My Heart, Three-Person'd God," was purely lovely. Principal trumpet Susan Slaughter further burnished her reputation with her solo playing of the theme; she was in superb voice, as were her colleagues in the brass section, particularly principal trombone Timothy Myers and principal tuba Michael Sanders. The big, dramatic ending won a standing ovation.”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“This is no mere cut-and-paste compendium of orchestra passages… [Doctor Atomic Symphony] invites you to hear the elusive music — driving passages with pounding timpani, quizzically restrained lyrical flights, bursts of skittish fanfares — on its own terms, apart from its dramatic context.”
The New York Times
> Further information on Work: Doctor Atomic Symphony
Photo: Deborah O'Grady
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