Mental Exhaustion

It's one of the greatest feelings...ever. Work always leaves me physically drained, but yesterday I really wanted some sort of mental stimulation. So, I went to a concert performance of John Adam's opera, Dr. Atomic.

Now, I'll be the first to admit my disdain for contemporary classical works. I usually hate them, hands down. But last night, the music, the lyrics, the story, and the singers all came together! It was a lovely performance of a great work. I have no doubt that this work will become standard American repertoire. Perhaps it may take the death of Adams to realize how much of a gem this work is. It usually happens that way. The cast was great save one: Meredith Arwady. I remember she won the MET National Council Auditions some years ago. She was a mess then, and she's a mess now. I question if she is even a contralto. I don't know. It seems like in order to get anywhere these days as a singer, all you have to do is be "different." The funny thing is, there isn't much "difference" between her and many other contemporary singers. I always find myself listening to the legends. Now, those were singers!

The opera began at 8pm sharp. I didn't leave the concert hall until 11:30pm. We just didn't want the show to end. Applause rang out as each singer took their bows. And then, to the suprise of us all, came Mr. John Adams himself walking across the stage! It felt like a historical moment. The opera is about J. Oppenheimer, TheManhattan Project, and the test shot of the first atomic bomb. Instead of coming up with an original libretto, Adams uses popular sonnets and poems to describe the tension, the doubts, and the fear surrouding this secret project. I really enjoyed the ending when the bomb goes off! Wonderful work. I would like to see it again.

I sat still for 3 and a half hours, listening, experiencing, reacting, contemplating. I left the hall exhausted. I am still exhausted. Thank God, I have the weekend off.