Nixon in China

To my surprise, PBS is currently airing John Adams's opera Nixon in China. I ain't much for opera: especially the Wagnerian kind, which seem like Lord of the Rings on steroids, and Lord of the Rings already was on steroids. And I don't even like the Verdi operas that much even though I love Verdi. But I have a thing for John Adams, and this opera, for some reason, really moves me. To take Nixon, the staunch anti-communist, stubborn leader of the free world, and smartest man on the block, and put him in China, where Chairman Mao waxes philosophical in his permanent idealogical/senile state creates one of the most riveting scenes I have ever witnessed. Anything with Nixon as a character is going to be good, primarily because there is something so grand, tragic, and beautiful about the guy, and this opera seems to understand his literary potential.

As I write, Pat Nixon is singing her aria--"This is Prophetic!"--one of my favorite pieces of music, and as the words scroll across the bottom of the screen, I can't help but write about the way this song should be titled "This is Poetic." She tries to celebrate America by starting each line with "Let . . ." like "Let the people see the families inside their houses." Something like that, but Pat Nixon conjures an America that combines an uncanny dread with a nostalgic celebration and the song is incredibly beautiful. At any rate, I need to cease this blog tweet thing I am doing so that I cease ruining my experience of watching the opera. Perhaps this official recommendation will get a reader or two to enjoy opera. I just find this music and book (by Alice Goodman) so incredibly moving that I must proclaim.