Recently viewed: Nixon In China

Man, what a brilliant production, at the Met in HD, of the John Adams now-classic modern opera! Top to bottom. John Adams himself conducted, Peter Sellars directed both the production AND the digital film, just an amazing piece of work. I don't like everything in this opera -- Kissinger is a cheap shot characterization -- but I can't imagine how the production itself could be improved. I saw it live in Portland a few years ago but the emotional experience in the theater this morning was 100x more moving to me. Part of it is the advantage of a "film" treatment with its closeups, and the added experience of between-act interviews, but most of it comes from the production itself, for which Peter Sellars must be given full credit. What an achievement! I liked the Portland production, too -- but I can't even speak of it in the same breath as what I saw this morning and afternoon.

What is unfortunate is that 90% of the audience was over 70. It's always so at these Live at the Met events. I don't understand it. It's so much cheaper and it's usually so much better than what local opera does. There are half a dozen colleges in this area, where the hell are all the music majors? This is the best arts value in the city in my judgment and only old fogies show up. Fortunately, a good many schools participate in these showings -- of course, no Oregon school does. Oregon education has been in a mess all the decades I've lived here, surely can't afford something like this. They listed the schools that participate in the credits. People love living in Oregon but it's sure a terrible place to educate your kids. Very sad.