Trying to predict what works of art will survive the test of time is a tricky if not impossible venture.
No American opera from the last 50 years seems more likely to achieve such immortality than John Adams’ “Nixon in China.”
Such an assertion would probably have been seen as ridiculous at the time of the work’s 1987 premiere, when a New York Times music critic infamously dismissed it as “a visually striking but coy and insubstantial work.”
But opinion gradually evolved, driven in part by the 1988 cast recording of the original production as well as widespread performances of “The Chairman Dances,” a 12- minute orchestral work that Adams has described as a “warm-up” to the full opera.
Such reassessments accelerated in 2004 with the first major revival of the piece at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, a production that was co-produced and restaged in 2008 by Opera Colorado and recorded for the Naxos label.
But perhaps the most important event in the critical rehabilitation of “Nixon in China” came with decision by the Metropolitan Opera — the country’s largest and most influential company — to stage the work for the first time.
The production, which originated at the English National Opera, opened Feb. 2. Today’s performance will be broadcast at 11 a.m. MST to movie theaters nationwide, including more than 15 across Colorado, as part of “The Met: Live in HD” series.
It is not easy to explain the elusive appeal of “Nixon in China,” because its greatness derives in large part from the creators stepping outside traditional bounds, especially in its narrative, which is strangely yet compellingly stylized.
Alice Goodman’s eloquent libretto, written in couplets, is less a drama in any conventional sense and more a kind of episodic meditation on the momentous event that inspired the opera and the historic characters involved in it.
Adams’ intoxicating score is rooted in the driving repetition of minimalism but transcends it. A constant, sometimes surging rhythmic pulse runs through this evocative music, with appropriate doses of wonder and exoticism.
While steering clear of any kind of documentary approach, this opera vividly conjures this pivotal moment in American history as it sympathetically reflects on the vulnerability and innate humanity of leaders thrust onto the international stage.
People often bemoan the abscence of a Beethoven or Verdi in our time, not seeming to understand that we have in fact extraordinary composers like Adams, who continues to create exciting new works year after year.
“Nixon in China” was no one-off success. He has shown his continuing prowess in the field with such subsequent works as “The Death of Klinghoffer” (1991), which is enjoying its own critical re-evaluation, and “Doctor Atomic” (2005).
It is not such a stretch to believe that Adams will someday be be considered on the same plane with Benjamin Britten or Leo Janácek, two enduring 20th-century composers whose reputations grow with each passing year.
“Nixon in China.”
Opera. The Metropolitan Opera in New York is presenting its first production of John Adams’ 1987 opera, “Nixon in China.” This weekend’s performance will be transmitted live to movie theaters nationwide as part of the “The Met: Live in HD” series. 11 a.m. today; encore presentation 6:30 p.m. March 2 in selected theaters. Ticket prices vary depending on location. For theater locations and other information: or 212-362-6000
