Is there a future - or even a present - for opera? I thought not, but seeing Nixon in China, with music by John Adams and words by Alice Goodman, based on an idea by Peter Sellars, made me think otherwise. Adams is a composer of genius but his music seems perfectly suited to the genre - it foregoes the kitsch lyricism of arias for witty quotes, does not eschew the necessary grandeur for choruses, sustains interest without fatigue for three hours, is erudite but accessible, grave when needed, light and playful if possible. Maybe opera is not suitable anymore to treat drama, but seems remarkable apposite for epics.
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