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?"
Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Marcus Farnsworth, Gerald Finley
"Five hundred U.S. Superfortresses are raining bombs"
Marcus Farnsworth, John Adams, Gerald Finley, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aubrey Allicock
"I'll sign the report, sir"
Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, Gerald Finley, Marcus Farnsworth, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"With respect, sir, anyone with two good eyes"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, Samuel Sakker
"I have been preoccupied with many matters"
Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, John Adams, Samuel Sakker
"Get them out of here. From now on, I'm making my own weather predictions"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock
"General, you are bearing up with remarkable fortitude"
John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aubrey Allicock, Gerald Finley
"To the farthest west, the sea and the striped country"
"A delay in the Potsdam Ultimatum"
Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jennifer Johnston
"Fermi is taking wagers"
Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, 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, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Brindley Sherratt, Gerald Finley, Marcus Farnsworth, Jennifer Johnston, Aubrey Allicock
"This program has been plagued from the start"
Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, John Adams, BBC Singers
"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"
John Adams, Brindley Sherratt, Gerald Finley, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aubrey Allicock
"Lieutenant Bush, keep a weather eye on Oppenheimer"
Aubrey Allicock, Brindley Sherratt, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams
"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
- Wolfgang SchiefermairEditing Engineer
- René MöllerRecording Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Mastering Engineer, Editing Engineer