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