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, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"Five hundred U.S. Superfortresses are raining bombs"
Marcus Farnsworth, Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, Gerald Finley, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"I'll sign the report, sir"
Gerald Finley, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, Marcus Farnsworth, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"With respect, sir, anyone with two good eyes"
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley, Samuel Sakker, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock
"I have been preoccupied with many matters"
Samuel Sakker, Gerald Finley, John Adams, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"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, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley
"To the farthest west, the sea and the striped country"
"A delay in the Potsdam Ultimatum"
Aubrey Allicock, Jennifer Johnston, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"Fermi is taking wagers"
Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock, Brindley Sherratt, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams
"I've spent a great deal of time indulging in controlled fantasies"
"Edward, the test will be delayed an hour"
Marcus Farnsworth, Jennifer Johnston, Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock, John Adams, Brindley Sherratt, BBC Symphony Orchestra
"This program has been plagued from the start"
Aubrey Allicock, BBC Singers, John Adams, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gerald Finley
"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"
Brindley Sherratt, Gerald Finley, Aubrey Allicock, BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams
"Lieutenant Bush, keep a weather eye on Oppenheimer"
John Adams, Brindley Sherratt, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aubrey Allicock
"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