Adams' 'A Flowering Tree'

On Saturday night I went to see John Adams' newest opera, "A Flowering Tree," in a semi-staged version at the SF Symphony. The program was full of references to Richard Strauss; to me the music sounded more like Carmina Burana (most obviously the "Flores, flores" chorus). The New Yorker reviewer and others have compared it to "The Magic Flute." Perhaps the work is so confounding that its listeners tend to grasp for comparisons.

I thought it was very nice, though not nearly the achievement of Adams' previous "Doctor Atomic," though that was a fully staged opera and it might not be fair to compare them. One thing that was confusing was the fact that the chorus parts are in Spanish, even though the work is based on a South Indian folk tale and it featured Indonesian dancers. Pan-asian is one thing, but why the Spanish? All I could think of is that Adams had the urge left over from "Doctor Atomic," which is set in New Mexico. But no: the New Yorker article informs us that "(Adams translated the choruses into Spanish, in recognition of the fact that the orchestra and the chorus performing at the premiere -- the Joven Camerata and the Schola Cantorum -- were from Venezuela."

Oh. Somehow I have the feeling that if this work survives to later generations, that point will be lost somehow. But anyway, it was a lovely concert.

technorati: San Francisco Symphony, John Adams, A FLowering Tree