Doctor Atomic
John Adams is my favorite living composer, and so when it was announced he was writing a new opera, I was thrilled. I love Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, and although it's not an opera, El Niño is Adams's greatest major work, I think. Anyway, Doctor Atomic premiered last fall in San Francisco. I entertained the idea of flying out to see it, but the cost and hassle of doing so were prohibitive. It will be playing in other venues soon, but I figure it's unlikely I'll get to see it, so I'm waiting not-so-patiently for an announcement about when a recording will be available. I figure they'll wait at least two years, to give the live productions time to make money.
But while I wait, this writeup by John Adams about his reactions to the rehearsals of the opera and his philosophy on sound design and vocal amplification in opera is very interesting stuff.