John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano

John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano

John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano
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Music CD Cover

Performer: Willard White
Composer: Willard White
Composer: John [Composer] Adams
Performer: John [Composer] Adams
Conductor: Kent Nagano
Performer: Kent Nagano
Performer: Steven Richards
Conductor: Steven Richards
Performer: Steven Rickards
Performer: Lorraine Hunt
Performer: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Orchestra: Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin
Performer: Dawn Upshaw
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2001-08-28
Music Label: Nonesuch
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. I Sing Of A Maiden
  2. Hail, Mary, Gracious!
  3. La Anunciacion
  4. For With God No Thing Shall Be Impossible
  5. The Babe Leaped In Her Womb
  6. Magnificat
  7. Now She Was Sixteen Years Old
  8. Joseph's Dream
  9. Shake The Heavens
  10. Se Habla De Gabriel
  11. The Christmas Star
Music CD 2
  1. Pues Mi Dios Ha Nacido A Penar
  2. When Herod Heard
  3. Woe Unto Them That Call Evil Good
  4. And The Star Went Before Them
  5. The Three Kings
  6. And When They Were Departed
  7. Dawn Air
  8. And He Slew All The Children
  9. Memorial De Tiatelolco
  10. In The Day Of The great Slaughter
  11. Pues Esta Tritando
  12. Jesus And The Dragons
  13. A Palm Tree

Free Music Notes for John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano

Free Music Review: Adams oratorio completely renews an old genre for our times
Hit: 5 Stars

Having just witnessed El Niño performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra I have to say that it is truly astounding how well Adams succeeds in creating a true twenty-first century oratorio. He has said that he wanted to write his own Messiah, because he loves Handel's so much. I wonder how many listeners are aware how deftly he has transformed the difficult, narrative recitatives of baroque practice into the haunting "greek chorus" of three countertenor voices? Or how he pays tribute to Handel's famous manner of illustrating the imagery in the text with the vocal writing? Or how brilliantly like Bach he tempers the holy rejoicing with deeply personal expressions of terrible pain and terror?

I'm sure the Sellars staging in the original was impressive but I was glad to have an opportunity to experience the music only, which sustains the listeners' attention as surely as does Handel's oratorio.

This recording is to be prized for another reason. The truly great Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, one of the most electrifying stage presences in classical music in our times, died of cancer last summer. And now the news that Dawn Upshaw, the other, spectacular lead female singer, is battling the same disease. They would both have been featured in this Boston production, but one is gone and the other has canceled her season while she battles the disease. Here they are on this beautiful recording, as they will not be heard together again.

John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano Poster

To clear up one thing first: this is not about the El Niņo weather system that hits the western Pacific every few years. Instead, this is a rather beautifully done Nativity Oratorio by John Adams, filled with his trademark dancing minimalist rhythms and tuneful melodies. The text is in Spanish, English, and Latin, and comes from both New World and Old World sources, all centering on the birth of Christ. Particular kudos must go to the three principals: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Dawn Upshaw, soprano; and Willard White, baritone. Even though there are moments when White's baritone threatens to dominate, they aren't significant enough to forestall any pleasure in the overall work. And while there are moments of drama here, they aren't nearly as spooky as those in The Death of Klinghoffer, Adams's other clear masterpiece. But El Niņo is definitely a masterpiece and a must for anyone's collection of contemporary music. --Paul Cook

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