COC Social Media Releases

The Canadian Opera Company premiere of Nixon in China took place Saturday, Feb. 5. The production will run for eight performances through Feb. 26. 

About the Music

Composing Nixon in China

Note that the singers are amplified as per the intent of the composer.

Director James Robinson discusses his history with the groundbreaking work in his Director's Notes:

"As a graduate student in Composition and Theory at the University of Minnesota, I was part of an unforgettable discussion in the Composition Seminar that followed the first television broadcast of Nixon in China. We were an opinionated and serious lot, usually found lazily agonizing over the merits of the twelve-tone system versus Neo-Romanticism, or trying to outdo each other with clever excuses for skipping performances of landmark 20th-century works or newer compositions that would doubtless enhance our knowledge and prospective careers. The day after the Nixon broadcast, however, was different: the conversation was fresh and biting, fists pounded the table, the air was electric with opinion and, yes, even a few tears were shed. In short, it was a wonderfully polarizing event that made me realize how relevant a new opera can be—and how quickly it can transform our view of the world."

Critical Acclaim:

“The COC’s first-ever production, created by James Robinson for Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2004, takes careful stock of the work in all its registers of meaning. It draws out themes that were less explicit in the realistic debut productionof 1987.” – The Globe and Mail

“Thanks to this smart, engaging and viscerally satisfying collaboration, this substantial, three-act opera feels even more compelling and actual in 2011.” – Toronto Star

"Nixon in China proves what an exhilarating experience modern opera can be." - Eye Weekly

Read patron reactions here.

About the cast and creative team: 

• The majority of the principal singers in our production, including Robert Orth (Richard Nixon), Maria Kanyova (Pat Nixon), Thomas Hammons (Henry Kissinger), and Chen-Ye Yuan (Chou En-lai) make up the cast of the highly acclaimed 2009 Naxos recording of Nixon in China. Of this recording, the Financial Times notes that "this release has caught the attention of critics throughout the classical music industry from Opera News and BBC Music Magazine to the Financial Times and e-Music. Music lovers and critics across the country and around the world are praising this release as a new standard in the genre." 
• Robert Orth is today's definitive interpreter of Richard Nixon, having played the role both in the 2009 Naxos recording (see above) and multiple stage productions. The Globe and Mail wrote of his performance in Vancouver: "he is Richard Nixon: The hunched shoulders, used-car salesman’s smile; the fawning, dog-like efforts to impress; and the paranoid facial mannerisms all ring true. So does Orth’s singing. His diction was immaculate, and each syllable was masterfully inflected. Dissimulation,  weakness, pride and, ultimately, pathos: All co-existed uneasily in Orth’s multifaceted characterization." 
• Thomas Hammons, who will sing Henry Kissinger, originated this role in the 1987 premiere of the opera.

Articles, interviews and profiles: 

• Maclean's article on Nixon in China's increasing popularity 
• Toronto Star interview with set designer Allen Moyer
• Globe and Mail interview with John Adams
• Opera 101 interview with Robert Orth (audio download)
• Definitely the Opera review of John Adams' autobiography
• Toronto Star interview with John Adams and Robert Orth
• IN Toronto interview with Robert Orth
• Classical 96.3 FM interview with Thomas Hammons (audio)
• Blog entry by John Adams about the Nixon in China vocal writing
• Newsweek article about Nixon in China

Photos:

Below are our production photos for Nixon in China. Click on the "download" link for the larger images. When using these photos on your blog, make sure to use the full photo credit.

Links:

• Synopsis
• Listening Guide
• Director's Notes
• Cast and Creative Team

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