Doctor Atomic (8 Nov. 2008)

Director:

Gary Halvorson

Writer:

Peter Sellars (libretto)

Stars:

Gerald Finley, Sasha Cooke, Eric Owens

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Gerald Finley	...	J. Robert Oppenheimer
Sasha Cooke	...	Kitty Oppenheimer
Eric Owens	...	General Leslie Groves
Richard Paul Fink	...	Edward Teller
Thomas Glenn	...	Robert Wilson
Meredith Arwady	...	Pasqualita
Earle Patriarco	...	Frank Hubbard
Roger Honeywell	...	Captain James Nolan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Adams	...	Himself - Composer
Benjamin Bederson	...	Himself
Alan Gilbert	...	Himself - Conductor
Susan Graham	...	Herself - Host
Metropolitan Opera Chorus	...	Chorus
J. Robert Oppenheimer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Richard Rhodes	...	Himself

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

opera | classical | atomic bomb | robert oppenheimer

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Genres:

Music

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metropolitan Opera, The, Fifty Nine Productions, Metropolitan Opera High Definition Production, A

Technical Specs

Runtime:

184 min

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Doctor Atomic (2007)

User Reviews

Excellent production of a remarkable opera

John Adams' Doctor Atomic is a remarkable work and one of the more interesting contemporary operas. This production is excellent and one of the better Met HD productions recently. The high definition as you would expect does look great, with clear sound, imaginative camera work and sharp picture quality.

The costumes and sets are highly atmospheric, and the staging and choreography are interesting. The orchestra perform this fine but very difficult work superbly, the conducting is brisk and sensitive and the chorus work is among the best the chorus have sung for these HD performances.

You couldn't have asked for better singing too. Gerald Finley is simply superb as Oppenheimer, he is athletic and his voice is still handsome. His Batter my Heart is one of the highlights of the opera and performed with such poignancy here.

Sasha Cooke is a very well sung and acted Kitty, though I marginally prefer Jessica Rivera in Sellars' production particularly for how beautifully done Am I in your light? Also highly effective are Richard Paul Fink who is dramatically powerful and vocally resonant as Teller, and Eric Ownes as Groves who displays a sonorous baritone and expressive acting making you feel amusement and pity for him.

Overall, excellent. 10/10 Bethany Cox