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

To clear up one thing first: this is not about the El Niño 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 Niño is definitely a masterpiece and a must for anyone's collection of contemporary music. --Paul Cook Amazon.com\'s Best of 2001

El Nino

What I love about John Adams is how he is able to write melodies that get stuck in your head yet, aren't so poppy that a classically trained vocalist will sound retarded singing them. El Nino as a whole is an extremely effective piece of music. It is both for the casual listener and then critical listener because it is deep but is very appreciable on the surface level too. I would recommend El Nino to anyone who likes John Adams or legit art music of any kind. January 13, 2007

Adams oratorio completely renews an old genre for our times

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. December 9, 2006

John Adams El Nino

How can one lose with a cast like this? Adams' El Nino is what the Florentine Camerata would have produced in 1698 if film projection had been available! Unfortunately, Peter Sellars' staging, with film, can't be shared here, but it can be imagined because of the music--relentless on the one hand, soul-fully lyrical on the other--inspired by literary sources drawn from a wide variety of sources. Not opera. Not oratorio. But exciting and unique. August 14, 2006

Revisiting El niño

Having first experienced John Adams' 'El niño' a couple of years ago fully staged by Peter Sellars and heard/seen more as a spectacle of video and quasi-choreography with the performers on the stage and the orchestra in the pit, this listener came away humming the visuals of bonfires on the beach with a Latino Holy Family: impressive evening but filler for a seemingly slight musical work. So why buy the CD set? Because I am a strong admirer of John Adams' work and felt I should give it more of a chance than a casual witness to a Christmas spectacle.

Now a few years later and with the CD studied, the next exposure to the work was in concert form and surprisingly 'El niño' works better without the distractions! The admixture of Spanish, Latin and English texts, using some wondrous poetry, the clarity of the vocal lines as sung to perfection by Upshaw, Hunt Lieberson and White, and above all the chance to really hear the brilliant orchestral details result in an oratorio that begins to work some magic. Adams creates a universality of message about birth and brotherhood that will help this rather overlong work sustain. The recording is quite fine and fortunately does not bear the stigmata of Adams' insistence of using mikes for the singers during live performance. Knowing this is one of his 'traits' forces devotees of his music to accept amplification as an instrument: even in his newest work 'Doctor Atomic' the singers are miked when they are all completely capable of filling a large house with their well-supported voices.

But ah, this is the 21st century and amplification is too much with us everywhere we go. So one can only shrug and say 'get over it.' It looks like 'El niño' has staying power: give it a chance. Not Adams' greatest work, but it ages well. Grady Harp, December 05 December 19, 2005

An American Masterpiece

John Adams' modern Nativity oratorio is not only the best thing he's written since "Nixon in China," it may be the best thing he's written. Filled with his usual driving rhythms and supple vocal lines, as well as more unusual features like a trio of countertenor angels, acoustic guitar, and settings of contemporary Latin American poetry, "El Niño" is big, bold and powerful without sounding busy or pretentious. The vocal performances are all heartfelt and perfectly nuanced, bringing out an emotional dimension in the Biblical characters rarely seen in more traditional approaches. It is a work that dares to be something both honest and majestic, and succeeds on every level. This is what new American music should be; and it deserves hearing by more than just fans of classical music. October 3, 2002

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