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Oct. 17, 2008
Dr. Atomic Opera
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In this segment, Ira talks with the composer, the director, and the lead of the opera 'Dr. Atomic,' taking the stage in a new production this week at New York's Metropolitan Opera. The opera, by composer John Adams, examines the conditions and attitudes in Los Alamos leading up to the Manhattan Project's 'Trinity' atomic test. Much of the libretto is made up of actual statements from scientists and military and government officials. The opera made its debut in 2005 at the San Francisco Opera. This week a new production of the opera, directed by Penny Woolcock, opens at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In this segment, Adams, Woolcock, and lead performer Gerald Finley, who plays Robert Oppenheimer, join Ira to talk about the performance and the challenges of bringing science to the stage. |
Produced by Christopher Intagliata, Associate Senior Producer
Guests
-
John Adams
Composer, Dr. Atomic
Author, Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life
Berkeley, California -
Penny Woolcock
Director, Dr. Atomic
London, England -
Gerald Finley
Bass-baritone
Title role, J. Robert Oppenheimer,
Dr. Atomic
Sussex, England
FEATURED READING
Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction
by Annalee Newitz
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