John Adams’ opera, which premiered in 2005, centers on the first atomic bomb test at Los Alamos, N.M. Now, a new album features a recording of Doctor Atomic conducted by the composer himself.
Who is Doctor Atomic in John Adams opera Doctor Atomic?
At the center of the story stands J. Robert Oppenheimer , the titular doctor and a character as complex and conflicted as any mythological hero. A brilliant physicist, Oppenheimer was tasked with overseeing the scientists of the Manhattan Project, the government initiative to develop atomic weaponry in the early 1940s.
What is the setting of Doctor Atomic?
on Doctor Atomic. Doctor Atomic concerns the final hours leading up to the first atomic bomb explosion at the Alamagordo test site in New Mexico in July of 1945 .
What year does Doctor Atomic take place?
Synopsis. The opera begins in June of 1945 , a few weeks before the Trinity Test. Since Germany’s surrender in May, a group of scientists working on the bomb have begun to harbor misgivings about the planned use of the bomb against Japan.
What is the subject of the opera Doctor Atomic?
Doctor Atomic, by the American composer John Adams, explores a momentous episode in 20th-century history: the invention and detonation of the first atomic bomb . The opera centers on Dr. J.
What is the best way to prepare in advance to attend an opera?
What is the best way to prepare in advance to attend an opera? your music textbook .
Is Nixon in China an opera?
Nixon in China, opera in three acts by John Adams (with an English libretto by Alice Goodman), which premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 1987.
How long is Doctor Atomic opera?
Originally composed in four movements and lasting 45 minutes, the symphony was revised by Adams to just three movements (played without a break) and 25 minutes’ length . This version was recorded in 2008 by the St. Louis Symphony, conducted by David Robertson and released by Nonesuch Records on July 20, 2009.
What John Adams did as president?
Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared Quasi-War with France. During his term, he became the first president to reside in the executive mansion now known as the White House.
Who is the librettist for Doctor Atomic quizlet?
John Adams’s Doctor Atomic is the result of collaboration with a playwright/director. Some of the libretto in Doctor Atomic by John Adams comes from declassified government documents.
Why is music important to motion pictures quizlet?
Why is music important to motion pictures? It can reveal the emotions of the characters. It can set the mood of the film . It can tell the audience where or when the story takes place.
What is the genre of Corigliano’s Mr Tambourine Man?
Tambourine Man is based on the texts of: Bob Dylan. After Pärt’s emigration to the West, he devoted his compositional output to: religious choral music .
What historical event is depicted in the opera Doctor Atomic?
Scientists and soldiers were secretly stationed in Los Alamos, New Mexico, for the duration of World War II; Doctor Atomic focuses on the days and hours leading up to the first test of the bomb on July 16, 1945 .
Which of the following was a source for the libretto of Doctor Atomic?
The libretto of Doctor Atomic was created by Peter Sellars, drawing on original source material, including personal memoirs , recorded interviews, technical manuals of nuclear physics, declassified government documents, and the poetry of Muriel Rukeyser, an American poet and contemporary of Oppenheimer.
Which physicist headed the team that developed the atomic bomb?
American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer headed the project to develop the atomic bomb, and Edward Teller was among the first recruited for the project. Leo Szilard and Enrico Fermi built the first nuclear reactor.
