John Adams: Nixon in China

Besides the landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Richard Nixon’s meeting with China’s leader Mao Zedong in February 1972 then represented one of the biggest media spectacles in history. Nixon himself established the reference between the two events: “We came in peace for all mankind” not only marked the lunar module Eagle’s landing spot – Nixon also spoke of it into the microphones just before his departure to China. It was not John Adam’s aim to create a superficial or even a caricaturing representation of Nixon’s visit when composing his opera. He attempted to create a “heroic opera” about the construction of modern myths by using archetypical characters and situations. Director Marco Štorman stages Adams’ minimal music opera as a deconstruction review about the power of images, the politics of staging and the staging of politics.

Cast

Michael Mayes Richard Nixon

Matthias Klink Mao Tse-tung

Katherine Manley Pat Nixon

Gan-ya Ben-gur Akselrod Chiang Ch’ing

Shigeo Ishino Henry Kissinger

Jarett Ott Chou En-lai

Ida Ränzlöv First Secretary to Mao

Fiorella Hincapié Second Secretary to Mao

Luise von Garnier Third Secretary to Mao

Metadata from the source database.