John Adams - The Death of Klinghoffer - Sylvan, Hammons, Maddalena - Nagano2CDs - DDD
Elektra 1992
Sheila Nadler, Thomas Hammons, Thomas Young, Janice Felty, Sanford Sylvan, Stephanie Friedman, James Maddalena, Eugene Perry
Cond. Kent Nagano
London Opera Chorus, Lyon Opera Orchestra
In The Death of Klinghoffer (1991), John Adams turns his cascading minimalism to the tragedy of the Achille Lauro. This spacious recording makes grand what seems so minor in the great scheme of things: a group of terrorists hijack an ocean liner and kill a wheelchair-bound Jewish retiree, Leon Klinghoffer. If the conceit of Adams' earlier opera, Nixon in China, seems a bit incredulous (Richard Nixon as opera subject?), The Death of Klinghoffer is genuine tragedy--Greek chorus and all. Alice Goodman is the librettist. This is one of the 20th century's best operas. A must. --Paul Cook
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