I’ve run hot and cold on John Adams over the years. I think “Shaker Loops” and “Nixon in China” are brilliant. So many of his other things, not so much. But this Nativity oratorio must be one of his most successful pieces.
“El Niño” was given its world premiere at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on this date in the year 2000. The American premiere followed, in San Francisco, on January 11, 2001. Kent Nagano conducted on both occasions, and the dream team soloists included Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Willard White.
“El Niño” – which has nothing to do with the weather – retells the Christmas story. Part I focuses on Mary’s reflections before giving birth in a stable in Bethlehem. Part II takes place after the birth, and encompasses the Slaughter of the Innocents and other events from the early life of Jesus.
The texts, in English, Spanish, and Latin, are drawn from the King James Bible, the Wakefield Mystery Plays, Martin Luther’s Christmas Sermon, the Gospel of Luke, and gnostic gospels from the Apocrypha, alongside poems by Rosario Castellanos, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriella Mistral, Vicente Huidobro, Rubén Dario, Hildegard von Bingen, director Peter Sellars, and Adams himself.
I can’t speak to Sellars’ direction. I’ve never seen it with the visuals. But musically, I was very pleased with it, when I first purchased the Nonesuch Records album 20 years ago. It’s a great tonic after running through multiple versions of “Messiah.”
Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hFSuGwl7jU
Part II
