John Adams
Music from "Nixon in China"

971048

Track Listing

Click tracks with speaker icon to listen

1	Act I, Scene 1: Beginning	2:53
2	Act I, Scene 1: "Soldiers of heaven hold the sky'	2:48
3	Act I, Scene 1: "The people are the heroes now"	2:49
4	Act I, Scene 1: Landing of the Spirit of '76	2:23
5	Act I, Scene 1: "Your flight was smooth, I hope?"	1:19
6	Act I, Scene 1: "News has a kind of mystery"	7:03
7	Act I, Scene 3: "Ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends"	6:37
8	Act I, Scene 3: "Mr. Premier, distinguished guests,"	2:37
9	Act I, Scene 3: Cheers	3:45
10	Act II, Scene 1: "This is prophetic!"	8:32
11	Act II, Scene 1: "At least the weather's warming up."	3:03
12	Act II, Scene 2: Beginning	3:34
13	Act II, Scene 2: "Oh what a day I thought I'd die!"	4:48
14	Act II, Scene 2: "Whip her to Death!"	2:29
15	Act II, Scene 2: Tropical Storm	4:45
16	Act II, Scene 2: "I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung"	6:30

News & Reviews

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

John Adams Awarded Honorary Degree from Yale University

Congratulations to composer John Adams, who received an honorary degree from Yale University at the school's 312th Commencement held in New Haven yesterday. Adams' fellow honorees include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and author Edwidge Danticat (seated in the photo with Adams). "You have pushed the boundaries of music, layering sound upon sound, playing with silence and speech and song, extending minimalism," read the citation honoring Adams. "Creating symphonies, choral works, concerti, and historical operas, your compositions have comforted and confronted, amused and amazed, challenged and transformed."
Wednesday, March 6, 2013

New John Adams Documentary Film by Mark Kidel to Premiere on BBC4 TV

American Master: A Portrait of John Adams, a new film documentary about composer John Adams by Mark Kidel, will be broadcast for the first time on BBC4 TV on Friday, March 8, at 8 PM. The film, which offers a journey through the musical landscapes of the composer, will be repeated on BBC HD on March 15. The film will also be screened at the Barbican in London on March 16 as a prelude to the European premiere of Adams's The Gospel According to the Other Mary with the LA Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Watch an excerpt from the film here.

Read More News About John Adams

About this Album

Adams describes this landmark work as “part epic, part satire, part parody of political posturing, and part serious examination of historical, philosophical, and even gender issues.” The Boston Globe called it “a milestone in American operatic history.” This collection contains highlights from the Grammy-winning 1987 recording.

Credits

MUSICIANS
Cast (in order of appearance):
Chou En-Lai: Sanford Sylvan
Richard Nixon: James Maddalena
Henry Kissinger: Thomas Hammons
Nancy T’ang (First Secretary to Mao): Mari Opatz
Second Secretary to Mao: Stephanie Friedman
Third Secretary to Mao: Marion Dry
Mao Tse-Tung: John Duykers
Pat Nixon: Carolann Page
Chiang Ch’in (Madame Mao Tse-Tung): Trudy Ellen Craney

Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Edo de Waart, conductor
Michael Feldman, artistic director
Louise Schulman, associate music director
Howard Jang, production manager
Violin: Mayuki Fukuhara, Amy Hiraga, Mineko Yajima, Anca Nicolau
Viola: Louise Schulman, Jennie Hansen, Stephanie Fricker
Cello: Maxine Neuman, co-principal; Myron Lutzke, Rosalyn Clarke, Karl Bennion
Bass: John T. Kulowitsch, John Feeney
Flute/Piccolo: Timothy Malosh, Sheryl Henze
Oboe: Stephen Taylor
Oboe / English Horn: Melanie Feld
Clarinet / E-Flat Clarinet: William Blount
Clarinet / Bass Clarinet: David Stanton, Gerhardt Koch
Saxophone: Lawrence Feldman, Ted Nash, Albert Regni, Roger Rosenberg
Trumpet: Chris Gekker, Carl Albach, Susan Radcliffe
Trombone: Michael Powell, Kenneth Finn, John Rojak
Percussion: Randall Maz
Yamaha HX-1 Synthesizer: John McGinn
Piano: Edmund Niemann, Martin Goldray

Chorus
Conoley E. Ballard Jr., chorus master
Jacqueline Pierce, chorus contractor
Soprano: Judy Berry, Sharon Daniels, Karen Grahn, Dana Hancard, Lorraine Kelley, Michele McBride
Alto: Patty Davis, Jay Ann Lee, Karen Leigh, Mary Runyan Marathe, Ruth Porter, Barbara Rearick
Tenor: James Bassi, Rodne Brown, Mukund Marathe, Edgar Moore, Martin Pierce
Bass: Roger Andrews, Christopher Arneson, Frank Curtis, Leslie Dorsey, Joseph Shockler, Todd Thomas

PRODUCTION CREDITS
The premiere performances of Nixon in China took place at the Houston Grand Opera (October 22–November 7, 1987), the Brooklyn Academy of Music (December 4–17, 1987), The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (March 26–April 5, 1988), and The Netherlands Opera (June 2–18, 1988).
Music by John Adams
Libretto by Alice Goodman
Peter Sellars, director
Mark Morris, choreography
Adrianne Lobel, set design
Dunya Ramicova, costume design
James F. Ingalls, lighting design

FIRST RECORDING
Produced by Wilhelm Hellweg
Recorded December 1987 at RCA Studio A, New York City
Balance Engineer: John Newton
Assistant Recording Engineer / Tape Editor: Henk Kooistra
Mixed January 1988 at Soundmirror, Jamaica Plain, MA
Production Assistant: Jennifer Keats

Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz