John Adams: Doctor Atomic
John Adams’ 2005 opera explores the personal and moral issues surrounding the invention of the atomic bomb. Captured live in concert, it has colossal power and conviction. At its centre is Gerald Finley’s commanding performance as Robert Oppenheimer, a scientist wracked by doubts. Having sung it at the premiere and many times since, he produces a magnificently characterised creation. Julia Bullock, Brindley Sherratt, Samuel Sakker and Andrew Staples are all superb in supporting roles and Adams himself draws virtuoso playing from a truly galvanised BBC Symphony Orchestra. A major recording of a modern operatic classic.
"We are bedeviled by faulty detonators"
"Many of us are inclined to say"
"This is a petition"
"What if it's a dud?"
"The test must go on as scheduled"
"No, before the bomb is used"
"The motive of it all was loneliness"
"What the hell is wrong with the weather?"
Marcus Farnsworth, Aubrey Allicock, Gerald Finley, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams
"Five hundred U.S. Superfortresses are raining bombs"
Marcus Farnsworth, Aubrey Allicock, Gerald Finley, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"I'll sign the report, sir"
Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams, Marcus Farnsworth
"With respect, sir, anyone with two good eyes"
John Adams, Samuel Sakker, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock
"I have been preoccupied with many matters"
Aubrey Allicock, Samuel Sakker, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley
"Get them out of here. From now on, I'm making my own weather predictions"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aubrey Allicock, John Adams
"General, you are bearing up with remarkable fortitude"
John Adams, Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"To the farthest west, the sea and the striped country"
"A delay in the Potsdam Ultimatum"
Aubrey Allicock, Jennifer Johnston, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams
"Fermi is taking wagers"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, Brindley Sherratt, Gerald Finley
"I've spent a great deal of time indulging in controlled fantasies"
"Edward, the test will be delayed an hour"
John Adams, Brindley Sherratt, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jennifer Johnston, Gerald Finley, Marcus Farnsworth
"This program has been plagued from the start"
John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Singers, Gerald Finley, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"To keep the weakness secret"
"I just finished reading The Magic Mountain"
"The winter dawned, but the dead did not come back"
"And love, which contains all human spirit"
"The only saviors are the ham sandwiches"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, Brindley Sherratt
"Lieutenant Bush, keep a weather eye on Oppenheimer"
Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, Brindley Sherratt, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"To what benevolent demon do I owe the joy of being thus surrounded"
"The sky is clear to the east"
"In the midnight, in the flame-brilliant midnight"
Production
- Friedemann EngelbrechtProducer
- René MöllerRecording Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Mastering Engineer, Editing Engineer
- Wolfgang SchiefermairEditing Engineer