Leading critics select their favorite American operas.

WYNNE DELACOMA
contributor, Musical America
Satyagraha
(Philip Glass/Constance DeJong)

PATRICK DILLON
contributor, Opera, Opera News
Nixon in China
(John Adams/Alice Goodman)

JENNA DOUGLAS
contributor, Schmopera
The Princess of the Stars
(R. Murray Schafer)

JANOS GEREBEN
contributor, San Francisco Classical Voice
Nixon in China

MARK GRESHAM
contributor, ArtsATL
Nixon in China

GEORGE LOOMIS
contributor, Financial Times, Opera
Nixon in China

KYLE MacMILLAN
Contributor, Chicago Sun-Times
Nixon in China

SARAH BRYAN MILLER
critic, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Nixon in China

NOEL MORRIS
Producer, WFMT Radio Network
Nixon in China

FRANK OTERI
co-editor, NewMusicBox
X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X
(Anthony Davis/Thulani Davis)

FRED PLOTKIN
contributor, WQXR.com
The Gospel at Colonus
(Bob Telson/Lee Breuer)

JOHN ROCKWELL
contributor, Opera, Financial Times
Satyagraha

RICHARD SASANOW
opera editor, Broadway World
Nixon in China

STEVE SMITH
editor, National Sawdust Log
X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X

BRIN SOLOMON
contributor, National Sawdust Log
A Quiet Place
(Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Wadsworth)

HEIDI WALESON
critic, The Wall Street Journal
Nixon in China

Nixon in China

Of all the entries in the genre known as “headline opera,” perhaps the best, and most durable, is Nixon in China by John Adams and Alice Goodman. Composed at the suggestion of director Peter Sellars and premiered by Houston Grand Opera in 1987, it tells the story of Richard Nixon’s 1972 groundbreaking trip to China. Although the opera takes some dramatic liberties, for the most part Adams and Goodman play it straight with the characters: These are human beings, not caricatures. Nixon comes across as a statesman; Mao’s fourth wife, Chiang Ch’ing, is as terrifying as the real woman reputedly was.

Adams’ score is nothing if not eclectic, in the best way. Although he’s sometimes categorized as a minimalist, he’s much more interesting than that, mixing that aspect of his music with a little Stravinsky, bits of jazz, Chinese elements and even some late Romantic harmonies. The moods shift to reflect the characters and where they find themselves in the action. Goodman’s words are well crafted, poetic and touched by wit. I saw it in James Robinson’s revelatory 2004 production at its Opera Theatre of Saint Louis premiere, and again in Denver. It remains in the memory; it deserves to remain in the repertoire. — Sarah Bryan Miller