oppenheimer's aria batter my heart, from adams's doctor atomic, combines elements of minimalism with

One of the highlights of both the opera and of Finley's performance is his aria from the very end of Act One, using the text of a John Donne sonnet, 'Batter my heart'. The authority that he therefore brings to the part is immediately apparent. Singing the role of Oppenheimer is baritone Gerald Finley, who not only created the role at the San Francisco premiere but has also reprised it in several subsequent productions in Amsterdam, New York, and London.

Robert Oppenheimer (dubbed the Manhattan Project).Ī DVD of the opera has previously been released of a Dutch production from 2007, but this is the first audio recording of the work, with the composer himself conducting.

In his 2005 opera, Doctor Atomic, he and regular collaborator Peter Sellars depict the events leading up to the testing in New Mexico of the first atomic bomb in 1945, focusing on the preparations for this by the various scientists led by J.

With works such as Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, and El Niño, John Adams is certainly no stranger to choosing controversial and politically sensitive topics for his operas.

Oppenheimer's aria batter my heart, from adams's doctor atomic, combines elements of minimalism with