DOCTOR ATOMIC
Overview
Doctor Atomic is an opera in two acts by John Adams with Peter Sellars's libretto.
This opera focuses on the incredibly huge stress and nervousness experienced by core players in the Manhattan Project, especially especially Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves, and also features Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert's wife.
Doctor Atomic has in common in style with his other two operas, which is called Trilogy, Nixon in China and Death of Klinghoffer, since both of them also explored the historical events with actual people-model characters who shows there personalities.
This opera is the first opera of John Adams, which received the Metropolitan Opera Debut in 2011
Adams also adapted the opera into orchestral symphonic work called Doctor Atomic Symphony in 2007. It takes the music from the overture, various interludes and orchestral settings.
Robert Oppenheimer
Robert Oppenheimer is the leading character in this opera. He was one of the key member in the Trinity Test. And John Adams explore inside of his mind, in terms of stress, anxiety, and guilt.
The best known aria Batter My Heart, which uses text from Donne's Holy Sonnet XIV, is very good example of his mental struggle.
"Batter my heart, three person’d God; For you
As yet but knock, breathe, knock, breathe, knock, breathe
Shine, and seek to mend;
Batter my heart, three person’d God;
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, break, blow, break, blow
burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue,
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,
But am betroth’d unto your enemy,
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me."
Click below to see the article about the european premiere of Doctor Atomic