Kulcha blog

Cris and I went to the Opera last night, seeing Doctor Atomic, a new John Adams composition with really fantasic staging and choreography.

I thought the first act was absolutely great -- the work explored the psychological pressures and moral quandries of the men racing to stage the first test of an atomic weapon in July 1945. Since the level of tension in the first act was high, I expected it to intensify unbearably in the second act, which was to end with the first atomic explosion. But contrary to expectations, the dramatic tension drained away in the second act, partly because of the prominence of recorded sounds and music, often taking focus from the orchestra.

Still, it's great to live in a place where even the mainstream arts groups strive to do new things, and you don't have to go to some bohemian venue to see exciting new work.