NIXON IN CHINA

Nixon in China, Lyricism on CNN, or Solitude and Fear in the Games of Power

A foundational title of contemporary minimalist opera, this opera of current affairs, or CNN opera, recounts the historic visit of Richard Nixon to Mao’s China in 1972, exploring the clash between two ideologically opposed worlds that are simultaneously divided and united by the media. John Adams's score, with its rhythmic and hypnotic tempo and heroic fanfares, shapes these rigid historic figures into vulnerable human beings, trapped between public image and existential doubt, timeless power and image manipulation.

Following her debut in Les Arts with Luisa Miller, stage director Valentina Carrasco presents an explosive vision of Nixon in China. Her mise-en-scène, one of the great operatic successes of recent years in Europe, is imaginative and visually striking, with a surreal aesthetic that uses pingpong diplomacy as both visual and dramaturgical axis to reflect power, propaganda, and the construction of political myths. The tables of the popular game symbolise the Cold War, the clash of opposing worldviews, and also the percussive rhythm of Adams’s compelling music, conducted from the pit by Cornelius Meister in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday. The celebrated baritone Thomas Hampson reprises in Valencia the role of Nixon with which he triumphed at the premiere of this production at the Paris Opera, where critics praised his commanding stage presence and musical intelligence. German soprano Marlis Petersen, a renowned interpreter of 20th-century and contemporary opera, and a benchmark Lulu, portrays Nixon’s wife.